@tasneemalsultan

I was born in US and grew up in UK. I remember as a young girl, my grandparents and relatives would have a driver and a domestic worker live in their home in Saudi. Speaking fluent English, and not so well in Arabic, I found friendship with the Philipino domestic worker named Alifa. She was nineteen and I was nine. I remember she would open her closet and show me photos of actors, and would read out handwritten poems to me. A few days later, my cousin cautioned me to stop speaking to Alifa. “She’s just not someone you should trust” she whispered. I was shocked and confused but I still became weary. I felt guilty for not spending as much time as I’d liked, and think back at how insensitive that must have been for Alifa. Moving back to the Middle East, and later becoming a photographer, working on stories that dealt with topics of domestic workers was the first to come to mind. Thank you Feroz Khan @zoomnclick for writing up the interview for my ongoing photo series Maid in Saudi and having it published on @phoblographer Full article: https://www.thephoblographer.com/2022/04/26/tasneem-alsultan-shows-essential-workers-in-a-light-of-dignity/