“Messages in Silence”

This photo project is a social documentary presentation, looking at the everyday life inside Jamhariyah as experienced by both the students and the teachers. Compared to the common pesantren, in this boarding school there are no major sound as usually heard, of course, such as the mujahadah or muraja’ah (reciting and memorising Al-Qur’an) together. The teachers, who are mostly work voluntarily, interact with the students by sign language and facial expression. The environment is entirely silent, yet there are rich communication and shared meanings. That is what this photo project tries to visually capture and narrate.