Laura Jean Zito • Magnetic Sinai
The picture on the previous page won
the Grand Prize in the Nikon Photo
Contest International, I took on a dare to
get a great picture. Nueba would never
disappoint in such a venture. Bedouin are
like people everywhere, each an unique
character, some as honest as a man can
be, and others more conniving, some
lazy and others more spirited, some
talkative and others quiet.
But all Bedouin love nothing more
than freedom. As their world becomes
hemmed in by trappings of modern
life, freedom of thought will hopefully
supplant a disappearing freedom of the
open landscape, and leave behind a
rigid attachment to outmoded traditions,
both physical and mental, especially
those pertaining to the suppression
of women. I believe I was at the same
time a mascot, an anomaly and a role
model for Bedouin, unused to seeing
a woman travel about by herself, but
always curious to see new pictures I
produced. Likewise, Westerners have
much to learn from Bedouin, who, like
American Indians, have a deep respect
for and symbiosis with the natural world
they inhabit.
GETTING TO
SINAI
may seem daunting at first, but once
you get through the hoops, you will
see that people’s remonstrances not to
go are based on a lot of media hype.
The Bedouin in Sinai are more than
welcoming as their livelihood depends
on tourists. The border strictures are not