Kut man overcomes challenges with Down Syndrome through photography

KUT, August 1 – Twenty-three year old Taha Al-Anzi has never let his Down Syndrome diagnosis interfere with his passion for photography.

Despite the challenges he faces, he has achieved remarkable success and won awards and recognition both locally and regionally, participating in prestigious festivals and competitions.

Among his most notable awards are Iraqi Talented Child of the Year (2010) from Al-Zaman and Al-Sharqiya Foundations and an award from the Ayoun for Culture and Arts Foundation (2014).

He has also won the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak International Award for Arab Youth (2014), Arab Youth Council for Integral Development Award, and International Creativity Medal (Finland).

Al-Anzi told 964: “I am happy with the love and respect from people for my hobby in photography, and I strive for new achievements that will be added to my career.”

“Photography taught me many things, the most important of which are patience, accuracy, and seizing the right opportunity and timing to present an artistic photoshoot.”

His father, Ali Al-Anzi, stated: “We were surprised by Taha’s hobby and love for photography when he was young, since there was no photographer or amateur photographer in the family.”

“We stood by Taha and appreciated his talent, as we encouraged and supported him and provided him with all the equipment he needed for photography.”

“Taha has received many local certificates of appreciation, and participated in Arab competitions in which he won. He has also become a professional photographer and presented clips at a high artistic level.”