Rahma Alim’s passion for photography started at a basketball game. She expected the weekly women’s drop-in at a North York community centre to be just a fun scrimmage. What she witnessed blew her mind – and started her down a new path.
 

“These women were competitive and playing so well,” says Alim. “They would block off the windows so if you’re Muslim you could take off your hijab and play comfortably. They’d take off their hijab and play crazy.
 

“You would not believe that same person walking out [after the game] was just playing like that,” she says, laughing at the memory.
 

In fall 2021, women’s basketball wasn’t getting the same attention as it does now. Alim felt these players deserved their due.
 

“I wanted to showcase these women specifically because these are women I’d never seen in the sports space,” she says. “They’re women of colour, Muslim, women who looked like me. I said, ‘I need to document this.’ I wanted to show that they do exist.”
 

She was familiar with Shoot for Peace, a grassroots mentorship program that teaches youth aged 12 to 19 about photography. She believed the program could help her develop the skills to take what was in her in mind and turn it into images she could share.
 

She submitted photos taken on her phone. On her application, she specifically expressed her interest in telling these women’s stories. She was accepted into the next cohort.
 

With Shoot for Peace, Alim learned the fundamentals of photography from professionals. She had access to equipment and studio space. She learned how to tell stories through pictures. “My idea [about women and basketball] evolved as I learned more about photography.” Mentors like Yasin Osman, a professional photographer and the founder of Shoot for Peace, offered advice but let Alim lead the way. She photographed the players – wearing their cultural clothes – in a studio, using a Canon Rebel. The project, Sports Culture, has since been showcased at art galleries.