Ahmed Najm

University of the Arts Bremen | Auditorium (1.09.060)

Exterior view of Speicher XI at HfK Bremen, showcasing historic brick architecture with students and visitors interacting on steps and pathways, under a clear blue sky.

Ahmed Najm is an editor and the managing director of Metrography Agency, the first and only photo agency in Iraq.

Ahmed Najm was born in Kirkuk, Iraq. Growing up during the civil war era, in the first seven years of his life, Najm and his family fled to Iran twice following their displacement in Iraq.

Ahmed Najm supervises a group of photojournalists, including 73 photographers in various Iraqi communities and religions, to record uncovered stories. He is a photo storyteller and safety trainer, and has been training independent photojournalists in Iraq, Iran and Turkey during the fight against ISIS.

He has also been training 15 women photojournalists, encouraging them to tell the stories that remain inaccessible to male photographers due to cultural and traditional boundaries. He was assistant managing director at Metrography from 2011 to 2014 and is the organizer of the annual photo festival of Metrography which takes place in five cities in Iraq.

Ahmed Najm was a jury member of the 2019 World Press Photo Contest.

Venue

University of the Arts Bremen Am Speicher XI 8 28217 Bremen

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Lecture hall in Speicher XI, HfK Bremen, with arranged chairs in a semi-circle, bags placed on each seat, and a projected typography display on the wall.