German photographer captures Omani moods

The exhibition titled, ‘Faces from the Land of Tolerance’ showcasing portraits of Omani men, women and children, and some German poetry will run at Bait Al Daleel at Bait Al Zubair museum until March 1

MUSCAT: Capturing various aspects of life in Oman and faces which tell a story, German photographer Anja Menzel has put together a collection of different photos which are up for display at the Bait Al Zubair Museum.

For the exhibition, which opened in the weekend, Anja collaborated with Omani author Lub- na Al Balushi, who has penned 54 poems in German and published a book with them. For all the photos clicked by Anja, Lubna has written a poem describing the picture.

The project began in 2013 and was completed by 2014, with intense discussions between the author and the photographer.

However it saw the light of day only at this weekend’s opening where Hans-Christian Freiherr von Reibnitz, German ambassa- dor to Oman was chief guest.

“In 2010 I travelled to Oman for the first time and fell in love with it immediately, it was not just with the beauty of this country, but with the open minded and friendly people of Oman,” said Anja.

“To talking to people in Oman is very easy and we always end up with a smile on our faces, I love cultural exchanges and like to know how people think and feel. We all have similar dreams and wishes.

“It is a great pleasure for me to work together with Lubna and it would be wonderful for me to work together with women in Oman. My dream is to give a class in Portrait photography some day, she added.

The exhibition titled, ‘ Faces from the Land of Tolerance’ showcasing portraits of Omani men, women and children, and some German poetry will run at Bait Al Daleel at Bait Al Zubair museum until March 1.