Zohra Bensemra

**Zohra Bensemra** (dem born am October 1968) bi Algerian photographer who dey work insyd de Middle East, Africa den Asia. Rydee she dey insyd Africa.

## Biography
Zohra Bensemra dem born am insyd Algiers, Algeria, insyd October 1968. As she dey grow up, she dey see ein older bro dey take amateur pictures. Around de age of six, she start dey imitate am wey she dey take ein cameras wen he no dey home. One day ein bro find out wat she dey do wey he scream at am, buh later he get am a small camera for einself wey she start dey take pictures of ein classmates.

Na Bensemra work as a photojournalist since 1990. She state insyd ein Reuters profile say na she first feel like a photographer insyd 1995: de first time she ever see dead bodies for ein life insyd. Na der be car bombing insyd de center of Algerian capital, close to de police station den ein workplace. De first thing wey na she see be de body of a burnt woman for de ground. De next day she wake up wey she feel de calling make she cam turn a real photographer. She firmly dey believes say in order make she succeed, especially insyd jobs like photojournalism, one for learn how dem fi accept de challenges wey dey cam plus am. She first work for Reuters as a stringer during de Algerian Civil War insyd 1997. Insyd 2000 she cover de conflict between de Albanians den de Serbs insyd Macedonia. Na dem assign am go Iraq insyd 2003. While she dey work insyd Najaf, she cam turn a staff photographer for Reuters. She cover de South Sudanese independence referendum, 2011, de Tunisian Revolution, de 2011 Libyan Civil War, den de Mosul war insyd 2017. Na dem base am as Reuters Chief Photographer insyd Pakistan (2012-2015) wey currently dem base am insyd Africa as eun West Africa chief photographer.

De Tunisian Revolution, Bensemra talk say de assignment dat left de biggest mark on her secof she never think de day wey de come when de Tunisians go rebel against dema ruler, give how she control de state. She arrive insyd Tunis for January 14, 2011, right wen a large group of people gather outsyd de interior ministry wey dey demand Presido Zine al-Albidine Ben Ali ein resignation.

Insyd 2011, Bensemra ein photographs wey dem display for de Deutsche Bank building insyd Frankfurt, Germany. De bank ein Global Head of Art, Friedhelm Hütte, wey comment: "Bensemra be important artist to us as she know how she go cut thru de borders for de mind to leave a lasting den meaningful impression. She get great ability make she show de underlying background stresses den problems insyd de conflicts for de moment." Insyd 2012, she dey visit den take photos insyd Syria.

Ein work usually dey cover "conflict, humanitarian issues, den stories about women den politics" wey be largely dey base insyd countries wey dey suffer from internal conflict – social, economic, anaa humanitarian. Bensemra dey state say ein goal wen photographing events wey dey promote a better understanding for de conflict go challenge those insyd power make dem improve de situation. Ein prefer assignments be stories wey dey relate to people dema struggle for citizenship den human rights against dominating forces.

Insyd 2017, na dem choose Bensemra as agency photographer as de year by de picture desk of *The Guardian*.

## Awards

* 2005: Winner, European Union prize for de best African photographer.
* 2017: *The Guardian* picture desk agency photographer for de year.
* 2017 UNICEF honorable mentions
## References


## External links

* Official website
* Examples of Bensemra's work from Reuters