Shahrazed Ratni (Algeria, 1981) gave up her studies when she was 18 to train as a photographer. One year later, she was hired by the Algerian national daily El-Moudjahid, a job which enabled her to broaden her experience. Among other subjects, she covered floods and an earthquake in the years that followed. In 2003, the publication of her work led to a job offer from the Algeria Press Service (APS), where she was the first ever female photojournalist. APS, still her employer, assigned her to the entourage accompanying the Algerian president on his journeys, the first woman photographer to do so. Ratni’s coverage of social life in Bamako, Mali, earned her a first prize in a North African photo competition and a special mention in a contest of international press agencies in Madrid.
