Egyptian photographer Mostafa Bassim usually documents political and social unrest, having started his career during the 2011 revolution. However, this bittersweet scene of young factory workers preparing to sell cotton candy on the streets during their ‘time off’ in Cairo shows a different side to Bassim’s work. With nearly a quarter of its population in the 18-29 age group, Egypt’s disproportionally high rate of youth unemployment (currently 30 per cent) is sometimes referred to by analysts as a ‘ticking time bomb’.
Bassim’s photos have been featured in al-Jazeera, The Washington Post, AFP and Jacobin. He is currently based in Washington, DC. mostafabassim.com
