“I didn’t understand the numbers on top, shutter speed, and aperture, but I understood, over time, composition,” Al-Badry told me.
Even without regular access to film or any reliable way to develop what he shot, he saw in his hands a tool for telling his story as it unfolded.
Eventually, Al-Badry’s family was re located to Lincoln, Nebraska. “When you come in as a refugee, you think everything is beautiful. You think you made it to the promised land; everybody’s equal,” he said. “But then you realize there’s little hints.”
This story is from the April 2023 edition of The Atlantic.
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This story is from the April 2023 edition of The Atlantic.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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