I capture life in the city of Taizz in southwestern Yemen. My gaze focuses on moments of collective harvest. In my quest to show the beautiful side of Yemen and alleviate the negative stereotype of Yemen, I take my exhibition as an opportunity to display some of the beautiful scenes from Yemen to the world. In my project, I choose to portray the social life of the Yemeni people in the field, try to capture the essence of the simple smiles that Yemenis resort to in order to escape the painful reality of war. It is the friends, family and their solidarity with each other in joys and sorrows that Yemenis hold on to.
Al-Baraa Mansoor Al-Sameai is 26 years old and lives in the city of Taizz in southwestern Yemen. He is a graduate of business administration. He first started taking photos on his phone in 2010. Since that time he has worked as a photographer, and filmmaker, with a number of international institutions. Most recently, he set-up his own production company that seeks to generate alternative images and narratives of Yemen, ones that counter the mainstream of a war-torn country.
