Departure Day
On Wednesday 19th February 2014 photographer Khaled ElBarky witnessed the demolition of a slum El-Gesr, in his home town Kafr El-Sheikh. The area was home for 64 families, most of whom working in recycling. The El-Gesr's residents' neighbours live in some of the most expensive buildings in the city but the desire to demolish the area's poorly constructed homes is a wish shared by both the inhabitants – which are seeking for a more modern homes – and the government which had a plan to convert the area into one of the city's main streets. The government offered all the families new housing units in 10 residential buildings. ElBakry has documented some of the last moments the residents spent in their evacuated houses before they were demolished.
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