By Caitlin Maloney
An award-winning photojournalist presented to students an unfamiliar view of Iraq and Afghanistan on Tuesday. Students admired a slide show of Karim Ben Khelifa’s photographs taken on a recent trip to the Middle East.
His photography has been featured in publications such as The New York Times and Stern Magazine, but he has no formal photographic training.
“I didn’t leave school, school left me,” Khelifa explained.
Khelifa shoots with a Nikon I3 camera, using a wide-angle lens. “It’s from the 1970s, but it’s a strong camera,” he said. His list of equipment also includes a scanner, a laptop and a flak jacket.
Khelifa loves his job, which allows him to travel. He has completed projects in France, the United States, many areas of the Middle East, parts of Africa and would someday like to travel to Australia.
He was also allowed to take photos of Yasser Arafat’s funeral. “It was scary, there were people shooting guns into the air,” Kehlifa said.
The photographs intentionally exhibit to the public a side of the Middle East that Khelifa said the media does not typically convey. “You don’t get anything out of Iraq or the Middle East except big headlines-a bomb here, a shot there,” Kheifa said. “You don’t get to see what a rich and fascinating and often peaceful place it can be.”
Khelifa’s work has earned him acclaim for the unorthodox point of view it presents. His photography of the Iraq war was shot from perspective of the Iraqi people. “It’s more interesting to be with the Arabs,” Khelifa said. “I like seeing how they live this war.”
Students found the photos interesting. “It showed things in a new light and opened my eyes to the Middle East,” freshman psychology major Samantha Bordoff said. “The news here gives such a one-sided view of the war and of that area, and I had no idea how moving these photos would be.”
“I work in dangerous places. Things happen very quickly, and it’s always very tense. I’m not stopping wars, none of us can. But we can have a voice, and mine is through photography,” Khelifa said.
To aspiring photographers and artists, “Use your heart,” Khelifa said. “Some people use a pen, I use photos. Sometimes there’s not a lot of hope, but there’s a chance to make a difference.”

Khelifa’s photos have been published globally by 10 newspapers and 16 magazines. (Karim Bem Khelifa)