Photo essay: Inside, Outside — Eid at Burgess Park
Zaineb Abelque’s work offers a celebration of communal space in south London
Ever since she was a teenager, British-Moroccan photographer Zaineb Abelque has celebrated Eid in Burgess Park, south London.
Eid in the Park, organised by Southwark Muslim Forum, has been taking place in the borough since 2012. Over the years, the event has evolved from offering a space to perform Eid prayers to one where attendees can enjoy food and family entertainment, with a multitude of stalls and rides.
Abelque’s long-term project Inside, Outside has been a labour of love. The photographs were shot in 2022 and exhibited for the first time in 2023 at Truman Brewery.
Making the work was Abelque’s way to show others just “how diverse south London is and how integrated we are”.
The main response Abelque, 24, has received for the project has been one of wonder, inspired by the diversity of cultures the initiative brings together.
“Afghans dressed up, with Somalis dressed up, with Sierra Leoneans dressed up, with north Africans, all praying together,” she says.
As an image maker, Abelque is drawn to fashion and the pride her subjects take in their clothing is clear.
“We’re taught to put on our best clothes for Eid and to show up as our best selves. We’re told to groom ourselves, to cut our nails and put on that oud,” she says.
“A lot of the spaces we navigate through are private and sacred. The beautiful thing about the park is that we’re out in the open.”
