Adriane de Souza
Brazil
Adriane de Souza is a Brazilian photographer currently based in Doha. She received her bachelors degree in Social Sciences from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Years later, she shifted to photography as a way of self-liberation.
Adriane has two ongoing projects: ‘I am not my father’, in which she explores concepts of masculinity and ‘Qawiya’ (قوية) which means strong, where she explores the presence and importance of women in various sports in Qatar.
In Qawiya
As a photographer and educator, de Souza reflects on freedom and encourages others to search for their path through photography. In ‘Qawiya’ (قوية), which means strong, she explores the presence and importance of women in various sports in Qatar. This is a project about passion, fighting, dreams, inspirations, and strength. De Souza says: “I admire people who follow their dreams, and this is a tribute to them, to these women who represent something powerful, and also, this is a tribute to my upbringing, to my past, and my father.”
De Souza stems from a family that has had few privileges, and grew up in a neighbourhood that did not provide and nourish for its own and where every dream seemed impossible. De Souza says: “In Brazil football is very democratic, that is why it is so popular, and that is how my father was able to experience a completely different reality from everybody else, from generations of struggle. Sports gave him a new life, a life of possibilities, sports gave him the will to work hard because for the first time a family member was able to dream.”