She went to Cairo to study pyramids and stayed to tell the stories the world wasn't hearing. When the Arab Spring broke out in the streets she once called home, she picked up her camera. What followed was a photo series, a book, and a travel company dedicated to changing how the West sees the Middle East.
To complete her Egyptology degree, Seattle native Genevieve Hathaway left the Pacific Northwest for Cairo in 2003, finishing her studies within 15 miles of the Pyramids of Giza. There she learned to live like a local — becoming a regular at small family-run restaurants and chatting with charming doormen and tea sellers.
A few years into building her resume as an Egyptologist, Genevieve started a personal project that took her to Northern Pakistan, where she worked on a women's mountain climbing magazine and bought her first DSLR camera. On a misty morning, she woke to a gorgeous view — and the lush landscape sparked a fire in her to document the everyday lives of people who looked nothing like the media's images of life in the Middle East.
"All I wanted to do was to shine a light on the stories that aren't being told and break down the misconceptions that cause so much fear. I realized then and there that we as people are way more alike than we are different."
With newfound purpose, Genevieve worked on sharpening her storytelling skills at every opportunity. She was on location in Korea when news of the Arab Spring swept the airwaves. Watching coverage of the demonstrations, she recognized the streets — the city she had called home — and felt an undeniable pull to go back.
"It was very personal for me. I knew those walls, and felt so compelled to be there."
Deep into her work on the ground, Genevieve noticed two significant gaps: community and resources to push her skills further. When a friend recommended free photography classes online, she instantly connected with a tribe of like-minded storytellers.
"Having that sense of normalcy and instant community to tap into brought me a sense of home because I could ask questions and interact with people while learning things I could go out and put into practice the very next day."
Tuning in to live broadcasts from halfway across the globe gave Genevieve a restorative dose of home. And on days when moving around the city was difficult, she would focus on her work and tune in — using what she learned to tell the story of what was really happening around her.
The contrast between what she witnessed firsthand and what was being reported internationally became impossible to ignore. She remembers talking to people back in the States and hearing how much fear had been manufactured from the coverage — fear she knew, from personal experience, bore little resemblance to reality.
Determined to counteract that narrative, Genevieve began shooting War on Walls — a photo series that drew on her background in Egyptology to document the extraordinary street art emerging as the Arab Spring progressed. Since its completion, she has exhibited the work, published a book of the same name, and launched a lecture series exploring the artistry and messages that inspired the street artists to capture the dreams of the Egyptian people's revolution.
Building on the platform her photography created, Genevieve launched ArchaeoAdventures, a female-centric travel company leading small groups of women on tours of the Middle East and North Africa. The tours employ local female guides who share intimate knowledge of their home countries, creating authentic experiences for all involved.
"There's just so much misunderstanding. I've traveled all throughout the Middle East by myself — as a woman — and I still think it's the best place to go all by yourself."
"I've always been a storyteller at heart."