In September (2024), I met up with Sudani artist, producer, and engineer MaMan; to shoot some portraits and exchange reflections on life + artistry. I had come across Mahdi’s work online from a viral video of him performing his track ‘Dafnino’; weeks before I was set to travel to Cairo.

Less than 24 hours after I arrived in Egypt, I connected online with Mahdi + his team and set up a plan for the following morning. I remember feeling nervous, thinking about how my process will translate with all of the newness. Wondering if this will be the time that my beloved medium-format Mamiya would choke and die; or that my iPhone app light meter would completely fail me. To further this exercise of trust, I decided to shoot only 1 roll of film (10 images) and some VHS. Within these frames are multitudes of conversations and knowings that MaMan and I shared in the short time we spent shooting on the banks of the Nile River. This shoot felt simultaneously like a moment of continuance as much as a moment of pause. It is always a potent experience to bear witness another’s artistry parallel to your own, transcendent of borders or language.

THE NILE THAT RUNS NORTH (2024) is a collection of motion + image documentation reflecting on MaMan’s journey to this point in his life and career. Much as the Nile that flows north from Khartoum to Cairo, MaMan’s work serves as a parallel-source; carrying his memories, dreams, and the soul of Sudan into his new sounds now based in Egypt.

I give thanks to Mahdi for being so open and sharing himself + his work with me and the world. I give thanks to the Sufi spirit that speaks through both of our work, and to the Most High for His masterful creativity.