TWO-BROWNGIRLS

SANAA HAMID - MY BODY IS NOT YOUR BATTLEGROUND II

We caught up with beautiful BROWNGIRL and fantastic photographer Sanaa Hamid after her Kickstarter-funded trip to Pakistan to shoot the second part of her series ‘My Body is Not Your Battleground’ that turns the stereotype of 'oppressed’ South Asian women on its head. 

Was your trip to Pakistan what you expected it to be?

Absolutely! I haven’t been to Pakistan since I was 12 for a wedding, so it was the first time I was engaging with that space as a woman. It was slightly overwhelming, honestly. I only had two weeks to photograph as many young women as possible and inevitably, meet a lot of family members who I have never been able to spend time with. That was probably my favourite part - being greeted so warmly by my family. Pakistan gets so much bad press and even I was a little apprehensive, but honestly it is such a beautiful place to be, and the people are so hospitable and welcoming. After a few days the air of Pakistan felt like home.

2. What was the most memorable moment during your trip?

The whole trip is only i’m never going to forget! But oh, there was this time, I was trying to find a place in Islamabad and Rawalpindi where I would be able to process 120mm format film, which is what I was using to shoot the project. We phoned around and multiple labs insisting it’d be fine and to come over. We visited over 10 labs that day. All of them looked at my and my old camera with such bewilderment, like “who is this weird backwards English girl?!” One man from a lab took my film and said “Inshallah, ho jai ga” (God willing, it’ll be done” and he didn’t even have a film processor. I was close to tears that day, but in hindsight it was hilarious. We even went to the infamous Banni Chowk, known for it’s complete lack of traffic regulation. All I left there with was a few jasmine garlands to deal with the pollution!

It was also pretty nice being called “madam” by everybody and being treated like a super important princess photographer, I got a bit used to that life and was horrified to have to make my own chai when I got home.

3. What effect do you hope 'My Body Is Not Your Battleground’ series will have and what are your plans for it in the future?

Representation. Honestly, if I create some kind of visibility, and a younger brown girl looks at the women I’ve photographed and thought “huh, people I can actually look up to!” then i’m happy. If we aren’t happy with the way we’re represented (or aren’t) it’s important to reclaim our portrayals and create our own visibility. My Body Is Not Your Battleground began as a photographic project, but i’ve created a website for it where women internationally can submit whatever it is that they do. So creative brown girls, submit! The more the better > www.mybodyisnotyourbattleground.com/submit

4. Will you be selling more tote bags? :)

I have a couple of them left! You can email me sanaahamid92@yahoo.com if you’re interested!

Big ups to Sanaa Hamid and her great work! Follow 'My Body Is Not Your Battleground’ on Tumblr and BGs, submit your stories!

- S