Chouf Chouf Shebab

CHOUF CHOUF SHEBAB

Giovanni Ambrosio

Chouf Chouf Shebab

Chouf chouf shebab the nameless city le città viste dall’alto the endless city le poids du monde les épaules welcome to P. what’s your name? where are you from? how old are you? welcome to I.

enjoy chai café cigarette drink eat who are you? no photo please would like to come back to H. to the sea I have never seen photo my friend choukran no service taxi welcome to P. what’s your name? where are you from? how old are you? welcome to I.

enjoy not to forget

why are you here? it is not healthy too warm massalama play football don’t you? say bonjour to french journalist passeport please any gift from other people? exit permit iani they are doing everything wrong arabic salade you guys on a boys trip? meet abou natiell meet another silent slave curva white welcome to H. the next bus to K. A.? where exactly in J.? welcome to P. what’s your name? where are you from? how old are you? welcome to I.

enjoy was born in B. speak arabic speak french

speak italian speak portuguese speak english got a house in N. Umm Kulthum appears in the stadium appears also in Z. late night you are too polite you need drugs? we will miss you avanti eggplants take us to the stadium please unité de production tecnica d’acciaio muslim? don’t go! captain Hani play drums soon to be in N. Y. fake blu eyes would like to build a real theatre welcome to P. what’s your name? where are you from? how old are you? welcome to I.

enjoy nice bike sorry no arabic I’ll take you to the airport fresh lemonade hot water how much for empty bottles we have a donkey school starts tomorrow got to ask for taxi driver names like this music? tattoos so chi è M. V. my nephew speaks english married? no you can’t pay the dinner welcome to P. what’s your name? where are you from? how old are you? welcome to I.

enjoy chouf chouf shebab nell’alto dei giorni immobili o le domeniche alla periferia dell’impero

e città viste dall’alto th du monde les épaules e drink eat who are you? ike to come back to H. een photo my friend ch enjoy not to forget why althy too warm massal you? say bonjour to fren please any gift from ot anihey are doing every ade you guys on a boys meet another silent slav o H. the nameless city npeak J.? speak arabic spe portuguese spea N. Umm Kulthum appe ars also in Z. late night need drugs? we will m s take us to the stadiu duction tecnica d’acciai ain Hani play drums so eyes would like to build bike sorry no arabic I’ll resh lemonade hot wat bottles we have a donk ow got to ask for taxi music? tattoos so chi è ks english married? no y enjoy chouf chouf sheb

he endless city le poid enjoy chai café cigarett ? no photo please woul .houkran to the sea I have neve no service tax are you here? it is not h lama play football don nch journalist passepo ther people? exit perm ything wrong arabic sa svetrip? meet abou natie curva white welcom y to K. A.? where exactl eak french speak italia ak english got a house i ears in the stadium app t you are too polite yo miss you avanti eggplan um please unité de pro io muslim? don’t go! cap oon to be in N. Y. fake bl dlatake real you theatre enjoy nic to the airpo ter how much for empt keyschool starts tomo i driver names like th èyou M. V.my nephew spea can’t pay the dinne banell’alto dei giorni im

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e città viste dall’alto th du monde les épaules e drink eat who are you? ike to come back to H. een photo my friend ch enjoy not to forget why althy too warm massal you? say bonjour to fren please any gift from ot anihey are doing every ade you guys on a boys meet another silent slav o H. chai café cigarette y in J.? take us to the s production tecnica d’ac captain Hani play drum blu eyes would like to b nice bike sorry no arabi port fresh lemonade h empty bottles we have omorrow got to ask fo his music? tattoos so ch aks english married? no enjoy chouf chouf sheb mobili o le domeniche a Chouf chouf shebab th viste dall’alto the endle de les épaules enjoy ch eat who are you? no pho

he endless city le poid enjoy chai café cigarett ? no photo please woul .houkran to the sea I have neve no service tax are you here? it is not h lama play football don nch journalist passepo ther people? exit perm ything wrong arabic sa svetrip? meet abou natie curva white welcom e to K. A.? where exac stadium please unité d cciaio muslim? don’t go ms soon to be in N. Y. fak build a real theatre enjo ic I’ll take you to the ai hot water how much fo e a donkeyschool star or taxi driver names lik hi è M. V.my nephew sp obanell’alto you can’t pay the dinne dei giorni im alla periferia dell’imper he nameless city le citt ess city le poids du mon hai café cigarette drin oto please would like t

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e città viste dall’alto th du monde les épaules e drink eat who are you? ike to come back to H ver seen choukran no s orget why are you her warm massalama play bonjour to french jour any gift from other peo are doing everything w guys on a boys trip? me meet another silent slav o H. photo my friend n J.? gs? avanti eggplan please unité de produ muslim? don’t go! capta o be in N. Y. fake blu ey eal theatre enjoy nice ake you to the airport er how much for empty keyschool starts tomor driver names like this m V.my nephew speaks e can’t pay the dinner en nell’alto dei giorni immo periferia dell’impero C nameless city le città vi city le poids du monde café cigarette drink eat

he endless city le poid enjoy chai café cigarett ? no photo please woul H. to the sea I have n service taxi enjoy not t re? it is not healthy to football don’t you? sa rnalist passeport pleas ople? exit permit ianihe wrong arabic salade yo eet abou natiell ve curva white welcom to K. A.? where exactl nts take us to the stadium uction tecnica d’acciai ain Hani play drums soo yes would like to build bike sorry no arabic I fresh lemonade hot w y bottles we have a don rrow got to ask for ta music? tattoos so chi è M english married? no yo njoy chouf chouf sheb obili o le domeniche al Chouf chouf shebab th iste dall’alto the endles e les épaules enjoy ch t who are you? no phot

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e città viste dall’alto th du monde les épaules e drink eat who are you? o the sea I have never vice taxi enjoy not to fo t is not healthy too wa otball don’t you? say bo ist passeport please an ple? exit permit ianihe wrong arabic salade yo meet abou natiell meet anoth white wh e exactly in J.? gs? ava he stadium please uni ca d’acciaio muslim? don dwho ae in N. Y. fake bl ld a real theatre enjoy bic I’ll take you to the hot water how much fo a donkeyschool starts t axi driver names like th è M. V.my nephew spea you can’t pay the dinner banell’alto dei giorni im alla periferia dell’impe he nameless city le cit dless city le poids du m chai café cigarette drin would like to come bac

he endless city le poid enjoy chai café cigarett ?rno photo please would seen choukran no se orget why are you her arm massalama play fo onjour to french journ ny gift from other peo ey are doing everythin ou guys on a boys trip ho are you? K. A.? wh anti eggplants take us t ité de production tecn n’t go! captain Hani pla lu eyes would like to bu yairport nice bike sorry no ar fresh lemonad or empty bottles we hav tomorrow got to ask fo his music? tattoos so ch aks english married? n r enjoy chouf chouf sh mmobili o le domenich ero Chouf chouf sheba ttà viste dall’alto the en monde les épaules enjo nk eat no photo pleas ck to H. to the sea I hav

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e città viste dall’alto th du monde les épaules e e mespeak arabic spe passeport please any g exit permit ianihey are d arabic salade you guys meet anoth white wh e exactly in J.? gs? ava he stadium please uni ca d’acciaio muslim? don dwho ae in N. Y. fake bl ld a real theatre enjoy bic I’ll take you to the hot water how much fo a donkeyschool starts t axi driver names like th è M. V.my nephew spea you can’t pay the dinner banell’alto dei giorni im alla periferia dell’impe he nameless city le cit dless city le poids du m chai café cigarette drin would like to come bac never seen photo my f vice taxi enjoy not to fo t is not healthy too wa otball don’t you? say bo ist passeport please an

he endless city le poid enjoy chai café cigare eak french speak italia gift from other peopl doing everything wron on a boys trip? ho are you? K. A.? wh anti eggplants take us t ité de production tecn n’t go! captain Hani pla lu eyes would like to bu yairport nice bike sorry no ar fresh lemonad or empty bottles we hav tomorrow got to ask fo his music? tattoos so ch aks english married? n r enjoy chouf chouf sh mmobili o le domenich ero Chouf chouf sheba ttà viste dall’alto the en monde les épaules enjo nk eat no photo pleas ck to H. to the sea I hav friend choukran no se orget why are you her arm massalama play fo onjour to french journ ny gift from other peo

Broken links My English is broken. S.’s English is broken. M.’s English is broken, but he has a voice coming from his back while he extends his gaze on the Jenin Camp from a rooftop.

And we can distinctively hear and understand it. There’s no other possible portrait.

Transportation links are broken, maps are broken.

Streets are broken.

Highways are broken.

Once you get off the bus in A., how do you go further?

And when languages are broken and everything else seems to be broken, to collect fragments is an option.

Fragments of scenes, fragments of voices, fragments of dusts and stones. Fragments of fragments.

You guys on a boys trip?

T. A. seaside, grilled fresh fish is about to be served, under a noise coming from next and far at the same time.

People furiously playing tambourine on the shore.

Sounds like we are on holidays. But this is no neutral zone.

Next table English girls ask : are you guys on boys trip?

And yes, definitely, we are on a boys trip. We are searching for a special kind of boys : Ultras football supporters.

They walk the city, straight and fast. I’m a little bit slower, carrying the extra weight of my camera. Making a lot of conversations, doing a lot of statements, anti, pro, have done, never would do. Asphalt is the same than everywhere else in our fully functional cities. They love Oum Kalthoum. Not all of them. Probably. The barely pronounce the word P. Probably never, I guess. But I’m lost.

In a taxi, the driver is talkative, next to him, his younger son. On the way, he stops somewhere to grab something.

The roadway is a bunch of holes.

He tells how he killed that fellow citizen, because he used to be in the enemy’s army.

And all that is way too big for my camera. But I can point and shoot beyond the windshield.

And I can’t stop, this is on the go. Walk, car, windows, visit, stop and go. North, south, center, and then again.

Driving, bus or taxi.

I engage with photography as much as I can : street, landscapes, cars. Other genres. Feel unknown people next to me, as I would do in stage photography. Or looking from distance.

Still voices coming from every side.

Take photo, no photo All those people asking for a picture. I don’t exactly know why and how. If I barely could stop and push the button, I did, anyway. But while their body is present and is a fiber of this constant rain of voices, there’s no potential meaning in showing faces. All of them, surely, did not entend their request of a picture as a consent to be included somewhere somehow in something. It was just a way to engage in that stream passing by including me my camera ,S. and his camera, our inappropriate clothes.

I do not erase them. I hide them. Focus on the voices.

The book in Covid confinement isolation borders check points time And eventually this book has been passionately composed by the young Roberto. He did not know the weight of my steps on the soil neither the weight of the camera lifting up or on the side to take its pictures. But he did engage in the archive and responsibly made fragments come on the surface. In a month of furious and passionate work, while world outside was no more driveble nor walkable nor nothing. He made all this new flow: develop, retouch, curate, design, compose, throw off, make the cover, and all that. For the first time in his life.

Giovanni Ambrosio, Paris, may 2020

Chouf Chouf Shebab Giovanni Ambrosio Picture editing, book editing Roberto Di Mola