One of us

The Republic of Dagestan is one of the regions of Russia where patriarchal worldview and traditions dominate in society, imposing restrictions on a person’s behavior, hobbies, and appearance. The restrictions are accepted and considered to be natural here, as people’s choices are strongly guided by public opinion. But however traditional a society might be, and however negatively dissent might be viewed, there are always people out there who seek a different life. The heroes of the project are young people of Dagestan who are not afraid to be different and challenge conservative social norms and stereotypes every day despite the fact that most people condemn them.

Madina Gadjieva (1989) is a documentary and portrait photographer based in Makhachkala, Republic of Dagestan in Russia. From 2019 to 2021 she studied at the School of Modern Photography Docdocdoc. Since 2020 she has collaborated with the “EtoKavkaz” information portal (ITAR TASS).