Featured Projects
Cinematic stories, edited with restraint.
A selection of gallery projects built around atmosphere, people, place, and sequence.
Portraits In Between
Portraits made in transitional spaces - doorways, courtyards, rehearsal rooms - where expression arrives unannounced.
Eid day
A quiet coastal study of morning light, working harbors, and the stillness that arrives before a city fully wakes.
Two Broken Nations
The second-leg CAF Confederation Cup match between Somalia’s Dekedaha FC and Sudan’s Alzamala SC at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi on September 27, 2025, was more than a football fixture. It brought together two clubs carrying the hopes of nations shaped by conflict, displacement, and decades of uncertainty. Neither team could host the match at home. Ongoing security concerns and limited sporting infrastructure in both Somalia and Sudan have forced their clubs to play continental competitions far from their own supporters. Yet, despite these challenges, the game stood as a reminder of the resilience that defines both countries. For many young Somalis and Sudanese, football remains one of the few spaces where dreams still feel possible. On dusty pitches, in crowded neighborhoods, and in communities marked by hardship, countless young people continue to imagine futures beyond war and instability.
Photo Essays
Visual magazine stories with room to breathe.
Nairobi, Kenya
The Hour Before The Market
A visual magazine-style story following vendors, streets, and light in the hour before a market opens.
April 18, 2026 / 5 min read
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Rooms That Hold Light
A restrained photo essay pairing portraits with interior details and reflective prose.
February 9, 2026 / 4 min read
Articles
Writing on process, editing, and image culture.
Revolution Within
How do people cope in a land not their own?
“How does one live far from home, bearing the weight of longing?” The question is devastating. How does anyone withstand such emotions? How? And again, how? It’s an indescribable feeling because words seem futile.
2024
Revolution Within
The Listening Self
Life in rural communities unfolds in layers of complexity, where each new birth marks not the beginning of carefree childhood, but an immediate introduction to responsibility and survival.
March 14, 2026
Revolution Within
The Somali Way of Being
“In the world, things are in relations of mutual dependence rather than those of cause and effect. Instead of observing them in a cause-and-effect relationship, we should observe them in their correlation.”1
Jan 03, 2026
Featured Work
Selected publications and external features.
Aljazeera
Meet Somalia’s trailblazing female camel trader
Zamzam Yusuf, a grandmother of 29, is breaking barriers by entering the once men-only camel trading industry in Somalia.
BBC
How Somalis see the 'Black Hawk Down' battle three decades on
Binti Ali Wardhere lost many members of her family in the fighting
BBC
'It became one of the children' - Kenyan family on adopting orphaned cheetah cub
The cheetah is now being looked after in Nairobi
BBC
Why Somalia's once-banned boxing thrives in the former warzone
Boxing was once banned in Somalia, but the sport is being revived in the country still wracked by violence after years of civil war. The only official boxing club is proving a haven for some in the capital, Mogadishu.
BBC
Heavy gunfire in Somali capital as row over election delay escalates
Fighting continued overnight after breaking out on Wednesday evening
About
A quiet, deliberate approach to people and place.
I am Abdishukri Haybe, a journalist and visual storyteller passionate about capturing authentic human experiences and impactful stories from Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and beyond. Over the years, I have worked with leading international media organizations, including the BBC, producing compelling visual and multimedia content that highlights social, political, cultural, and humanitarian issues. My work is driven by a commitment to telling stories that inform, inspire, and create meaningful connections between people and communities. Before joining the BBC, I served as a special photographer to Somalia's Prime Minister. This experience gave me unique access to some of the most significant events shaping Somalia's modern history.
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