This project analyzes the condition of Eritrean and Tigrinya women who fled across Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Initially focused on Eritrean women escaping one of the world’s worst dictatorships, it later expanded to include Tigrinya women due to the war in Tigray. During the conflict, the EDF used sexual violence as a weapon of war, targeting Eritrean women as punishment and Tigrinya women to exterminate them. Their bodies became battlegrounds with no sides.
Photo copyright: © Cinzia Canneri
Cinzia Canneri’s project offers a striking and intimate portrayal of the harrowing experiences endured by Eritrean and Tigrinya women amid conflict and oppression.
The project honestly confronts the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and how these women’s bodies have been transformed into battlefields. With profound sensitivity and respect, Canneri’s visual storytelling reveals these painful realities while honoring the resilience and dignity of her subjects. This work is a vital testimony — one that challenges us to see, to remember, and to bear witness.
Cinzia Canneri is a photojournalist based in Italy, specializing in stories about the human condition, social change, gender, and immigration issues. Working extensively in the Horn of Africa, she has documented the condition of women from political, social, and cultural perspectives. Her project “Women’s Bodies as Battlefields” received the Camille Lepage Award at Visa Pour l’Image in 2023; the Documentary Photography Zeke Award (SDN) in 2023; the Circle of Life Award at the International Photojournalism Festival in Vilnius; and First Place in the POYi Issue Reporting Stories (Pictures of the Year International) in 2022. This work was exhibited at the Xposure Festival in Sharjah (UAE) in 2025, Visa Pour l’Image in Perpignan (France) in 2024, Photoville Festival under the Brooklyn Bridge, New York in 2023, and at the Kawasaki Peace Museum in Kanagawa (Japan) in 2022.
Over the years, she has also documented social issues related to workers’ exploitation. Her project “Like Two Wings”, focused on asbestos victims, received an Award of Excellence at the POYi Science and Natural History Picture Story (2016) and First Place at the Umbria Fest (Italy).
She has been published in international magazines such as The New York Times, Aftenposten, Days Japan, L’Obs, Aftenpost, The Washington Post, Internazionale, and L’Espresso.
Lodi, Palazzo Barni, C