El Fasher: Where the Camera Doesn't Lie About Safety
so you wanna shoot portraits in el fasher? let me tell you, this city got more layers than a poorly stored digital archive. just landed yesterday with my 24-70mm strapped to my chest, and already i’m sweating bullets-not just from the weather. speaking of which, it’s currently doing that desert thing where the air feels like it’s been microwaved then left in a gym bag. you could fry an egg on your camera bag if you’re not careful. nyala’s a bumpy 45-minute flight away if you need a break, but honestly? the dust storms there make this look like a day at the beach.
*camera gear ain’t cheap, but neither is staying alive here. the rent situation is… elastic. found a crumbling concrete bunker near the market for $280/month if you don’t mind sharing with a family of geckos. job prospects? mostly ngo gigs snapping ID cards or documenting aid convoys if you’ve got the clearance. and the safety score? let’s just say google maps doesn’t highlight red zones for decoration.
“heard a brit photographer got his drone clipped by a stray camel last week. camel. not even a militant.”
dumped my tripod near the souk and within 10 minutes, some vendor tried to sell me ‘antique’ nikon batteries that smelled like burning rubber. overheard a local muttering about ‘neighborhoods where even the goats carry knives’-probably talking about al salam district. then again, every district here has its own flavor of chaos.
“avoid al salam after 4pm unless your lens doubles as a weapon. stick to the university area if you want to keep your gear-and your kneecaps.”
the market’s a trip-literally. got shoved by a donkey carrying onions while trying to frame spice vendors. their faces? pure poetry. but the real danger’s not the heat or the livestock. it’s the unpredictability. one moment you’re shooting kids playing in a dusty alley, next moment there’s a sudden curfew because someone spotted a military convoy 20 clicks out.
here’s the raw truth:
- al salam: dodgy as hell but has killer street art. just don’t linger.
- al shuhada: quiet enough to hear your shutter click, but locals give you the stink eye if you point a camera at anything military-adjacent.
- al malja’*: where the aid orgs bunker down. safest bet for foreigners. also the most boring photos you’ll ever take.
costs here?
- cheap meal: $2 (if you’ve got iron stomach)
- sim card with data: $5/month (probably tapped)
- lens cleaner: $15 (because sand is the enemy of all glass)
learned the hard way not to leave your gear in the car. some kid tried to ‘borrow’ my flash by punching through the window. now everything’s strapped to me like i’m going into combat. which, let’s be real, isn’t far off.
if you’re brave enough to shoot here, this reddit thread has… questionable advice. and if you wanna see what not to eat, check yelp’s darfur restaurants-mostly 1-star reviews from unseasoned journalists. for real-time intel, the unocha darfur updates are your only bible.
bottom line? el fasher’s not for tourists. it’s for photographers who like their shots gritty and their adrenaline pumping. just keep your lens cap on when things get loud. and maybe invest in a flak jacket.