Child Power

Solo Exhibition by Sahl Abdelrahman

September 12 - October 17, 2024

The Photographic Gallery, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, curated Child Power, the debut solo exhibition by documentary photographer Sahl Abdelrahman, in which he uncovers the hidden side of the cotton industry in Egypt.

Cotton is Egypt’s most valuable crop and it is globally recognized as a quality product of luxury. Egypt’s unique climate and fertile soil create the ideal environment for the plant, however, this is also a labor-intensive agricultural process. The cotton crop needs to be hand-picked with care under excruciating heat, for which children make up a large portion of the workforce.

Growing up in the vicinity of the cotton fields in Fayoum, photographer Abdelrahman gazed through his camera to capture the laborers during harvest time. His photography sheds a light on this backbreaking work carried out under difficult conditions to tell a story of missed childhoods.  

The exhibition walked us through a day in the life of a typical agricultural worker, Youssef. He is like many children, working in the cotton fields seasonally to support his family. The story of Youssef is contextualized within life at the village, during and off the harvest season, documenting his daily routine and interactions with his friends, family and pets. The photographic project shows a brighter side of rural life as well and depicts joyous children whose smiles emanate contentment and hope for a better future; as well as dreams and aspirations beyond the fields. 

Sahl Abdelrahman

Sahl Abdelrahman was born in Fayoum, Egypt in 1999, is a documentary photographer and currently a photojournalism and documentary photography student at the Danish School of Media and Journalism (DMJX) in Aarhus, Denmark. 

Abdelrahman’s work focuses on capturing the daily life of people in Egypt, particularly in the Fayoum area. He is especially interested in children's issues and aims to use his photography to raise awareness about the problems that children face in Egypt, including the issue of child labor. He has been developing his long-term project Child Power since 2021.