Negoor is one of the oldest towns in Sistan and Baluchistan, the most extensive province in Iran located in the southeast part of the country near Pakistan border where the iranian Baluch community are living. with the main job of animal husbandry and selling handicrafts, this community is recognized as a closed society over lack of tendency to communicate with other cultures existing in the country. started taking photos of a family, dealing with cultural, social and financial issues in a poor neighbourhood of the town.
I tried to tell the story of the daily life of an Iranian Balochi family in a town which is deprived of some primary facilities like a hospital (while the population is almost 7000 people), suffers from severe poverty, with enormous jobless people, and addicted youth. While the rate of literacy is at a low level, there are many social crimes committed like dealing drugs, alcoholic drinks and illegitimate relationships in a highly Islamic environment. The Region is dried up due to famine and reduction of rainfall, meanwhile drying up the Hirmand river which its entrance is in Afghanistan. Therefore, the life of many people including the family is affected by having their only source of income farming and animal husbandry.
The region has not been covered by many photographers due to geographical, political, and social limitations. I was a witness of a big joint family who was caught in their daily issues, from economical to cultural and political to traditional customs of marriage and gender discriminations. Though the situation of the town is not ideal still some people are trying to make a change even though small.
Hafizeh elder daughter of the family is among the first girls in the town who could go to college to the nearest city, Chabahar seaport, fighting for her rights to study. Following this now many families are opening up to study of their daughters outside the town. “for now everything seems vague and dark but we have no choice to keep going on as maybe tomorrow will be a better day for us.” She says.
