Mani, the Unmasker

Recently there has been few images coming out of Syria. The government's strict crackdown has made it extremely hard for any international photographers in, and those who do get in face grave dangers. "Mani", a french photojournalist, has holed up in Homs, the center of the fiercest crackdown in Syria to date, and has taken revealing pictures that portray the civilians daily lives as they struggle to oppose their oppressive regime, all while dealing with the fear of death and the grief over those who have met it. Taking numerous precautions to protect his identity, Mani does not use his real name and covers his face with a keffiyeh (a headscarf) in order to hide his features from Syrian informants. Besides hiding from the Syrian government, Mani also has to be careful in traveling with the opposition. He has to travel with somebody at all times in order to earn the trust of those he photographs. Distrust is almost necessary there as photographers can turn out to be government informants, taking pictures of those who protest against the government in order to persecute them later. For this reason Mani makes a point to always work with someone known in the district in order to gain their trust.

Mani spent a month in Homs, Rastan and nearby rural areas, learning to avoid the routine hazards of snipers and tank fire. Photograph: Mani

Recently Mani has made a big impact on the international view on Syria, as his photographs and documentation of the conflict has been the best to come out of the region to date. Recently having two interviews with British Channel 4 and French news France24, the dangers he faces in doing so have been unveiled. The dangers of being an international journalist/correspondent are rising as conflicts become increasingly more violent and indiscriminate towards civilians and sometimes even more discriminate against the journalists themselves. However these journalists provide the clearest view on the conflicts we have, as it is their images along with those taken from the cell phones of protestors that make their way to the outside world.

Mani has also made quite an impact on me as well. With his latest short documentary film entitled "The Horror of Homs", Mani exposes the gritty details of the conflict along with the broken innocence in such a way that really got to me. When Egypt had it's uprising last year, I was moved by the footage of protestors being beaten, gassed, attacked. When they rose up, and fought back, and sang in rejoice. In Syria things are not so easy. Syria is not like Egypt, it does not go half-assed. Syria pulls out the big guns, literally, and bombs it's civilians into submission when they fight back. There is intense sadness in all of this, and yet there is still rejoicing in the face of danger. Rejoicing for the future that holds their freedom. The Syrian people show their resilience every day they face the bombardment from their own government, the humanitarian crisis they are forced to live through. Its an inspiration and a wake-up call. We have it so easy here in America, with debates over health care and religious battles. Their health care is a ramshackle field hospital set up in the basement of a bombed-out apartment building. Their religious battle is a persecution of Sunnis by alawites, and vice versa. Their government oppression is in the form of guns and bombs, not legislation and inactivity. It makes you realize how lucky you are, and how unlucky others can be. Here is the Horror of Homs.