A photo project with adolescents living in rural Bangladesh
Photography, throughout the years, has proven itself to be a strong medium used to represent socio-cultural and political issues. In a country like Bangladesh, where illiteracy remains high, visual materials play a strong role in communication.

Do you see my world? is a photographic journey in the life of 30 adolescents from different parts of Bangladesh. They received a five-day training in photography in September 2009 and produced an extraordinarily fresh body of work as an output of their training. The project was designed to inspire adolescent boys and girls, who live in rural Bangladesh, to tell their own stories using photography as a tool. Another objective was to introduce them to a new mode of expression.

This initiative took place within UNICEF supported Empowerment of Adolescent project (see page 11) which is implemented under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs by two national NGOs, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and the Center for Mass Education in Science (CMES), and funded by the European Union.

The photo project was designed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child with the commitment to encourage child participation. The ultimate objective on the project was not only to give children an opportunity to convey their views through an original mode of expression, but also to create awareness on issues faced by adolescents in Bangladesh and advocate for their active citizenship.

BRAC and CMES selected 30 adolescents, aged 14 to 18, among those who regularly attend the adolescents’ centres in Jamalpur, Chapainawabgonj and Barguna districts. Each group had 10 participants with a gender ratio of six girls to four boys.

    
Trainees from Barguna. Photo: Jeevani Fernando/Drik      Training session in Jamalpur. Photo: Amin/Drik

UNICEF entered a partnership with Pathshala, South Asian Institute of Photography, Bangladesh's leading photography training institute, to design and conduct the training and organize exhibitions with the photos taken by the young participants.

Great enthusiasm
Three parallel workshops took place in the adolescents’ centers in Jamalpur, Chapainawabgonj and Barguna. Pathshala trainers conducted the workshops. To ensure effective coordination, one adolescent peer leader was selected from each group.

From day one the participants showed great enthusiasm. The trainees drew portraits of each other, focusing on easily overlooked but noticeable visual expressions for the first time perhaps. This helped them to get an idea of how photography could become a strong mean of portraying human characteristics. Seeing their distorted caricatures brought out giggles. This exercise was an ice-breaker and bridged the gap between the trainers and the trainees.


Taking down notes. Photo: Reza/Drik

The training module was especially designed to fit the targeted age group. The module excluded technical terminologies and jargon and had an innovative approach. Emphasis was put on practice and participation. Bangla was used as the only language for easy understanding and communication.

During the week, the participants learned basic photography techniques. This included introduction of digital and conventional photography, camera operations, lens, aperture, shutter speed, exposure, etc. Apart from techniques, the participants also learnt about the ethics and aesthetics
of photography.

To elaborate the process of photographic storytelling, significant photo stories produced by children from different parts of the world were presented. The participants were excited to see some of the work done by those children in unknown countries. At times they were flooded with emotion and sympathy towards the characters of the stories. They discovered the connection between the lives of people and the power of photographs.

Sihab, a 14-year-old participant from Chapainawabgonj, commented that although the African children looked so different in the photos with their costumes and physical features, yet somehow their joys and struggles of life were not much different from his own life. Sihab was excited to associate his life with children thousands of miles away.

At the end of the training week, the children themselves discussed the themes they were interested to document. Some wanted to show their villages, some the rivers, the marketplaces and some their friends and families. But more surprisingly, most of them picked areas which were not only complicated to present through visuals but also socially challenging. They wanted to show child labour practices and the effects of early marriage found in their villages. They also wanted to document the need of education and importance of health and sanitation.

Practical session under a banyan tree on the banks
of the river Mahananda, Chapainawabgonj.
Photo: Reza/Drik

The participants simply wanted to show the world where they live which consisted all of those challenges. Finally each of them came up with their personal topics on which they had to focus their photographs during the next one week. This ended the first phase of the training.

A camera for a week
The trainers went back home. The young photographers went out on action. Each of them was given a digital camera and entire freedom to take the photos they wanted during one week. They were told to take 100 to 200 photos each but many took up to 800. Within one week this group of 30 adolescents took more than 9000 photographs! Not one of them was randomly taken. They were all well planned and well thought through.


Showing the subject her photo.
Photo: Trainee, Barguna

When the trainers went back after a week to see what the children had captured they were speechless, not only by the number of photos they had taken, but above all by the quality. These incredibly swift learners had captured intimate and decisive moments. Their fresh eyes discovered the beauty and the dark side of their world. Of course they also made mistakes. But those were merely technical. The trainers were overwhelmed by the depth of the work. Stories within stories started to come out.

Samima experienced the power of photography in a very special way. It helped build a relationship between two important persons in her life. Her mother and stepmother who had never before sat together agreed to pose for a photograph sitting next to each other. This was the first time Samima witnessed such a closeness.

     
Photo: Samima Aktar Khaleda, 17                                       Photo: Rubaiya Akter Shimu, 14

For Rubaiya it was more challenging. She took a photograph of a woman being beaten by her husband. But this did not go well. She had to face opposition and was forced to delete the controversial picture by the local Shalish (traditional tribunal). But she was so determined to show the issue of violence against woman that she decided to stage the photo again where a couple, having had a similar history, agreed to act
for her.


Editing and caption writing in progress, Barguna.
Photo: Reza/Drik

Another participant, Bithi, explained how she felt she could use photos to show the issue of early marriage. “I am against child marriage. I am now confident to capture and show the reality and am able to raise my voice more effectively”. She realised that in order to express oneself, one needs not just schooling, but also an effective medium. Photography served as an excellent medium.

Together with their trainers the participants spent three days to make a selection of their photographs. They were involved in editing and interpreting their images. The students themselves wrote the captions for each image selected. Through this exercise the total number of images came down to 220 from 9000. It was a tough job for all. They argued, debated and finally, agreed. It was all a part of the process and by this the trainers were able to teach them an important skill - photo editing. Their captions are also fascinating. In a simple and direct style all of them tell a story. Often the young photographers went out of their way to find out key aspects of the life of the persons they portrayed. Each text brings additional meaning to the image.


Capturing nature. Photo: Reza/Drik

Images selected by the children were then brought to Pathshala. A panel of curators finally designed an exhibition consisting of 60 images. After the launch of this exhibition in Dhaka the exhibition will tour Jamalpur, Barguna and Chapainawabgonj – and photos will go back to where they were generated. The young participants will be able to show their communities the amazing work they have done and this may trigger some interesting interactions, questions, dialogues. A mobile exhibition replicating the ‘fixed’ one has also been organized. Photos are mounted on rickshaw vans and bullock carts. This mobile exhibition is designed to reach marginalized groups both in Dhaka and in remote villages in the rural area.

Do you see my world? is not just an exhibition, it is an appeal. An appeal from of an unseen segment of our society who used photography as an effective tool.  An appeal to see and better understand their world - its beauty and its tragedy.