Entry Title: " St. Mark's Legacy"
Name: Philipp Spalek, Germany
Category: Non-Professional, Culture


Entry Description: The Egyptian Copts constitute the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Over the past decades they experienced a turbulent history of alternating religious persecution and relative stability. But their situation as a religious minority worsened dramatically with the overthrow of Husni Mubarak in 2011 and the violent attacks on churches in Cairo and Upper Egypt, which left hundreds injured and more than 20 people dead. The death of Pope Shenouda III in March 2012 and the passionate farewell hundreds of Christians gave him, when they broke through the security barriers in front of his grave, describes the uncertainty which the loss of his leadership leaves behind. After guarding their religious identity for centuries, many fear about their future in a changing Egypt.

Born in 1984, I spent the first 6 years in my hometown Berlin, before I moved to Syria with my family in 1990, where I missed most of the post-communist turbulences in East Germany. In Damascus I visited an American school and got in touch with the Arabic language. At the age of 10 I moved back to Germany, but always kept close ties to the Middle East. During travels to Syria, Egypt and South East Asia I discovered my interest in photography. Still fascinated by the Arabic language after finishing High School, and convinced, that language and cultural knowledge would hand me the tools to tell the stories, I want to tell, I started to study Middle Eastern Studies and Modern History. During my studies I worked as a photographer for Al-Shorouk newspaper in Cairo and for various German magazines. I learned to speak fluent Arabic and now live in Berlin and Cairo.