This photography project, begun in 2017, explores gender issues in areas marked by the colonial legacy of her country, initially focusing on Eritrean women fleeing repression.
After the Tigray war began in 2020, it expanded to include Tigrinya women also escaping violence. The work highlights the shared experiences of Eritrean and Tigrinya women across Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan, particularly the use of sexual violence by the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) as a weapon of war.
Since 2023, photographer Cinzia has collaborated with the ‘Cross Looks’ collective—comprising women from Italian, Eritrean, Tigrinya, and Sudanese communities—to amplify these stories. The project, titled Women’s Bodies as Battlefields, has evolved to reinterpret resilience not as a simplified, positive narrative, but as a complex, collective process of emotional and cultural strength, envisioning new alternatives through solidarity and care.

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.