Generation Z: Salih Basheer and Sudan
For the second edition of Magnum Chronicles, the cooperative’s photographers work collaboratively with young people around the world to paint a global portrait of Generation Z
This year, Magnum photographers collaborate with young people to capture the zeitgeist of Generation Z in the second edition of Magnum Chronicles, an annual publication that explores and interrogates contemporary global issues through independent documentary photography. Pre-order and support the publication here.
Basheer’s upcoming chapter in Magnum Chronicles: GenZ focuses on Omar, a Sudanese refugee living in Finland. When he met Omar in 2025, he was working on his series The Return, which sought to illustrate the immense humanitarian impact of the ongoing war in Sudan through visual accounts of his own story, and the stories of individuals and families, like Omar, whose lives had been uprooted since the war began in April 2023. “It’s about the people who live through this turmoil every day — those who are rebuilding their lives, their communities, and their identities in the face of a war that is not of their making,” he wrote in an interview with Magnum in 2024.
Here, we speak to Basheer about the collaboration and why it is important to document and amplify the voices of this generation.
Where and how did you meet Omar?
The collaboration with Omar began when we met in the shared spaces of the Sudanese community in Tampere, Finland. I had moved to Finland in June 2025, and was seeking a Sudanese community here to make it feel like home. I was already photographing him for my project The Return when I introduced the idea of the Generation Z story. Omar was open to the project.
What was the collaborative approach like?
We started with portrait sessions and then shifted the angle to something more collaborative. Omar made a series of drawings to craft his own narrative, and I made interventions on the portraits that I had taken of him. For me, I started drawing to accompany my photographs when I realized that sometimes it’s hard for me to capture certain internal feelings of a situation through my camera. Drawings allow for a more subjective, layered narrative that can bridge the gap between what is seen and what is felt, especially when dealing with trauma and fragmented memories.
"The collaboration was fueled by a mutual understanding of the weight of our shared history."
- Salih Basheer
Through this approach, we moved away from traditional photography to include Omar’s own reflections on his experiences and family testimonies. The collaboration was fueled by a mutual understanding of the weight of our shared history. Both of us come from Sudan, and this shared history helped him transition into an active participant in the storytelling process.
"His experience mirrors the universal struggle of exile and the feeling of being suspended between a home at war and a future that is unclear."
- Salih Basheer
What did you learn from his story, and what could you empathize with?
Documenting Omar’s story, the primary lesson for me was the resilience of identity when stripped of its geographic anchors. His experience mirrors the universal struggle of exile and the feeling of being suspended between a home at war and a future that is unclear. I found deep empathy in his navigation of this “in-between” state, a sentiment that resonates with anyone who has had to redefine themselves in the wake of systemic upheaval.
Why is it important to document and amplify the voices of the younger generations?
Amplifying the voices of the younger generation is a necessity. They are the primary architects of a future they did not choose. In the context of Sudan, this generation has inherited the consequences of decades of instability, yet they possess a clarity of vision that is often ignored by mainstream discourse, for example, the Sudan Youth Revolution, which started in late 2018, up until the outbreak of war in 2023. Documenting the perspective of Generation Z ensures that the historical record is not just a timeline of political events, but a map of human aspiration and endurance.
GenZ Spotlight:
Omar
The collaborative chapter made by Basheer and Omar combines portraits, hand-drawn images, quotes from Omar’s brother in North Darfur, and a letter from Omar to his future self.
“Kabkabiya is receiving large numbers of people fleeing neighboring areas due to the conflict. A huge number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have arrived from their villages, approximately 500 families, lacking the most basic necessities. They lack shelters or housing and sleep on the ground, in markets, on the streets, and in the homes of relatives. There is no humanitarian aid.”
— Omar, quoting his brother
“I am writing this letter from the past, from a time when I am still learning, trying, and struggling to achieve my dreams. I want to remind you not to forget how hard you worked to get where you are today. Remember that the difficulties you faced were merely steps along your journey.”
— Omar, writing to his future self
To read the full selection of stories and support the publication of Magnum Chronicles this year, click here.
