— MEDIA RELEASE —

Legacy of Ali Mustafa lives on through Memorial Award for Freelance Photojournalists

Thursday, March 9, 2017

TORONTO – Three years ago today, Toronto-based freelance photojournalist Ali Mustafa was killed by a Syrian regime barrel bomb while covering the conflict in Aleppo. Now, his legacy lives on through an annual award that provides financial support to other young freelancers.

On Friday, March 31, at an exhibition featuring the work of the winner of our inaugural award, the Ali Mustafa Memorial Collective will publicly announce this year’s winner, Toronto-based Allen Agostino.

Agostino will use the funding provided by the award to document the dire state of Aboriginal fire services in Canada, a situation that has received little public attention.

He sees the lack of government support provided to Aboriginal fire services as emblematic of Canada’s continuing neglect of Aboriginal communities.

“Canada’s treatment of Aboriginal communities feels like a dark secret that the Federal government isn’t willing to expose because it runs contrary to how we identify ourselves as a nation that welcomes and accepts all cultures,” he says.

“If this is our Canadian identity, then we as Canadian citizens need to demand change.”

A graduate of the International Center of Photography in New York, Agostino’s work has been featured in The Toronto Star, The Independent and Al Jazeera America.

The award announcement will take place on March 31 at the opening reception of a free exhibit at the Gladstone Hotel, at 1214 Queen St. West in Toronto.

The exhibit, ‘Towards the Unknown: Refugee Journeys through Syria, Greece, and Germany,’ will feature the work of Tanya Bindra alongside some of Ali Mustafa’s photography.

It will continue to run on April 1st and 2nd from 12pm to 5pm.

For more information: https://rememberingalimustafa.org/towards-the-unknown/
Media Contact: Johannah May Black (416-662-2084)
Email: rememberingali84@gmail.com

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