As the Dia concluded its workshop on photography and painting on pottery last week, it also bade farewell to one of its most active personnel. IT manger of the organization, Rami al-Ghazali, is, in fact, more than a webmaster. He is a painter and a professional photographer as well. The workshop, which was his idea, included some of his fascinating works, which were exhibited along with other enchanting works of other young photographers and artists of promising future.
Al-Ghazali was born in Yugoslavia in 1966. He studied arts, besides being interested in computers, which motivated him to establish a computer consulting company in Belgrade. When war broke out, the company he ran was closed and he moved to Italy, where he was involved in freelance photographing for almost a year before coming to Yemen one year and a half ago. In Yemen he joined the Dia organization, which was at the time looking for an IT manager.
"I liked the nature of my job here. It gave me the chance to work with young people, exchange our views and experiences with one another, and meet with a lot of interesting people," he said. Some time before starting the photographing workshop he launched the www.yemenarts.org.ye which aims at presenting Yemeni artists and their works to the whole world. "This project is, unfortunately still without funding. The initial stage has been done and it is already on the net, and one can see what it can bring to Yemeni arts. There have been some individuals and organizations which showed some interest in the project, but it is too early to talk about who will fund it," he commented. "Through this project all Yemeni artists can show their works to the whole world interested in Yemeni arts. It will also help give others an idea not only about Yemeni arts and artists, but also about the values of our society as well," he added.
One of his projects was also a live connection that connected a number of Yemeni artists with some of their counterparts in France. Participants were given an opportunity to view one another's works. "It was a nice experience for me to do it and for the students here to have the chance to know more about different cultures and what is new in modern paintings," said Rami.
Beside being an IT manger, he is also a painter. His love for painting, oil colors and their smell have been deeply rooted in him since he was young and he would see his father painting. But his busy schedule did not give him the chance to paint much, causing him to find an another means to express himself, which lately manifested in photography. "I can express myself faster in photographing," he said.
Such a love for arts and great experiences might be attributed to the many countries to which he has been and the different kinds of cultures that he has come across in his long traveling.
About his future plans, he said that participants in the photography workshop showed an interest in establishing the Yemeni Photographers Club. He also intends to travel to South Africa to explore more about the nation's arts and cultures.