The Nomad’s Journey: A Storyhunter Takeover by Ghinwa Daher
Ghinwa Daher* is a filmmaker and photographer from Lebanon. For the last six years, Ghinwa has traveled for work as a freelancer, documenting different cultures. She is now a team member of the guerrilla filmmaking organisation “What Took You So Long?” She aspires to continue filmmaking — documenting and sharing positive stories from around the globe.
Storyhunter: When did you decide to become a freelancer?
Ghinwa Daher: Eight years ago, when I started the journey of working in film and photography, I chose to be a freelancer and I’ve been one ever since.
SH: What does freelancing mean to you?
GD: Being a freelancer allows me to choose only the projects that inspire me, projects that are impactful, through which I can grow and be an active participant in the world I live in.
SH: What is the story behind this project?
GD: Two years ago, we — What Took You So Long — took a project to film in six countries of the Sahel region: Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Senegal. We followed the success stories the people have achieved by coming together, the challenges they faced on a daily basis due to climate change, and the different reasons behind their migrations through that region.
SH: Who are your subjects and how do they relate to your project?
GD: On the side of one of the endless highways of Chad, we spotted these girls in red, as their colors stood out starkly against the dusty yellow desert. Eager for a taste of camel milk, we pulled up beside them. Our wish for “halib jamal” was granted and the white gold was presented to us in a coca cola bottle, as it was morning and they had just been milking their camels.
In Mongo, Chad, after losing their men to war, these women came together in a collective they named “Zedonte Women Collective” and began harvesting their fields to bring food to their families. This photo was taken after hours of work in their field, while celebrating the end of the day, singing and dancing along beautiful repetitive beats.
SH: What camera gear did you use during your project?
GD: I used the Canon 5D Mark III with mostly the Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Distagon ZE series and the Canon 16–35mm f/2.8, as I love wide angles.
SH: What were the most memorable moments of the project for you?
GD: Witnessing the daily lives of the nomads of the Sahel over a period of two months — these humans of immense strength and beauty — was a reminder of our strong nature of wanderers and explorers, and of our inherent ability to withstand the harshest environments when determined to seek survival.
Follow Ghinwa on Instagram @ghnwa and @Storyhunter for more photos from the takeover.
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By Lena Drake, Storyhunter Writer
