HUDA ABDULMGHNI
Passport photos for non-passport holders

This project relates to a group of individuals known as Bedoon in my home country of Kuwait. In Arabic, the word bedoon means without. In this case, these individuals are without citizenship, in other words stateless. Though many date their presence in Kuwait to the early 20th century, they lack the paperwork necessary to become citizens. They are the have-nots of Kuwait, not simply because they lack an identity, but also because their precarious existence contrasts so distinctly with the excesses to which Kuwait citizens are entitled. Official doors are closed to them whether it be to access education or health, get a job or simply get married. Compounding their vulnerable status is their almost complete anonymity in the society; few draw attention to their plight because the price for doing so is so high, whether it be harassment or expulsion. To most people, the bedoon are invisible.

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