The Rights Exposure Project

Below are the links to the articles and interviews published by The Rights Exposure Project. They are organized by date of publication.

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‘Passion, determination & commitment’ – an interview with Stephen Kelly.

An interview with UK born photographer Stephen Kelly on his methodology and work on China. FULL INTERVIEW. 

Nayantara Gurung Kakshapati – “I was just interested in telling stories.”

An interview with female Nepali photographer and co-founder of photo.circle, Nayatara Gurung Kakshapati. Here she talks about being a female documentary photographer in Nepal, setting up a photo collective and their latest photo book ‘The Constant Change.’ FULL INTERVIEW.

‘How to prick the conscience of a dictator & why the ‘poster child’ works’ by Rob Godden 22/09/2011

These two topics may at first seem unrelated so bare with me. The answers to both questions are rooted in how our brains work. They are, in some respects, intuitive. They are also fundamental to how we approach social change, and in particular how we use visual media. FULL ARTICLE.

Sophia Spring on ‘Sweet Salone’

I recently completed a photographic project entitled ‘Sweet Salone: Portraits of Contemporary Sierra Leone’ – kindly featured on this website by Rob. What did I hope to achieve with this project? Simply to provide an insight into the lives of a few Sierra Leoneans in the hope that it might produce a more nuanced representation of the country than previously shown in the media. FULL ARTICLE.

‘Even Though I Am Free I Am Not’ – photographic activism for Burmese political prisoners by Rob Godden, 19/06/10

Today is Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday, her fifteenth under house arrest in the past twenty years. Preparations for elections in Myanmar (Burma) later in the year have already drawn widespread criticism regarding highly restrictive elections laws, particularly those that bar the jailed political opposition (including Suu Kyi) from participating. Past experience has lead many to fear that as the elections approach restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly will be tightened. James Mackay’s documentary photography project – ‘Even Though I’m Free I Am Not’ – started in 2009, is very timely. The project took second place in the political photojournalism category at the prestigious Prix de la Photographie Paris 2010 awards last month and focusses on Burma’s political prisoners. FULL INTERVIEW

Bahini – Life of my sisters by Rob Godden, 13/06/10

There may not be any great photography galleries in Kathmandu, or Nepal for that matter, but every so often a set of images surfaces that take you by surprise. ‘Bahini: Life of my sisters’ is one such project. ‘Bahini’ – which means ‘little sister’ in Nepali, is a project shot by two Singaporean photographers, Edwin Koo and Debby Ng, for the Little Sisters Fund (LSF). FULL INTERVIEW

Inside Kroo Bay with Save the Children by Rachel Palmer and Rob Godden, 06/06/10

Ever since I came across the website  “This is Kroo Bay”  last year wanted to learn more about how such a comprehensive and innovative approach came about. Well, thanks to Racher Palmer, Photography&Film Manager at Save the Children UK I got what I wanted.

‘This is Kroo Bay’ needs to be seen – it is full of photos, stories, video and marvellous interactive 360 degree panoramas to explore. There are in fact two Kroo Bay sites, as Rachel explains below. Both are worth your time and raise the bar in regard to the use of multimedia / interactive websites by NGOs.  FULL ARTICLE

James Morgan – stories of universality from the margins by Rob Godden, 31/05/10

I came across the work of James Morgan via the photographs he shot on child trafficking in Nepal and India. Going through his website I was further drawn to his work partly because of the focus on Asia, but also because of his emphasis on compassion and respect for those whose stories he told. FULL INTERVIEW

Awaiting Justice? Time to re-think the picturing of conflict survivors in Nepal by Rob Godden, 27/02/10

I was at the British Embassy in Kathmandu a couple of weeks back to attend a gathering on enforced disappearances. The event marked the 6th anniversary of the killing a 15-year-old girl, Maina Sunuwar, in 2004 by the Nepal Army. The main draw was the première of a short film entitled, ‘Awaiting Justice’ (presented as ‘Nyay Kahile?’ in Nepali, which literally translates as ‘Justice When?’).  FULL ARTICLE

‘Real lives are like novels not legal documents’ – How NGOs should be using photos and video in social activism by Rob Godden, 04/12/09

I know, I know, its a bit of a headline title but as this article rounds of one year dedicated to looking at the use of photography, video and all that other visual stuff used in social activism I thought it appropriate to end with a grand claim. But to be honest with you I can’t answer the question of ‘How NGOs should be using photos and video in social activism‘. Not that you needed telling that because, as regular readers will know this just takes us back to all that ‘does dieting work’ absurdity. FULL ARTICLE

Participatory photography – Jack of all trades, master of none? by Rob Godden, o5/08/09

OK, I am going to be a bit flippant and suggest first-up that the debate about whether participatory photography(PP) represents the greatest thing since sliced bread or is an ineffective use of resources that perpetuates neo-colonial attitudes in development is;

1) a stupid debate on a par with ‘Does dieting work?’

2) a ‘proxy war’ about participatory approaches and visual representation in development, and as such, best tackled head on. FULL ARTICLE

“We have no right to walk into another’s suffering” – Raghu Rai on Bhopal, the demise of the ‘Truth’, and the future of the photojournalistic aesthetic in campaigning by Rob Godden, 14/07/09

‘Are you joking?’

Raghu Rai’s initial response when asked by Greenpeace to go back to the city of Bhopalin Madhya Pradesh, India, and photograph the lives of those affected by the disastrous Union Carbide factory gas leak 18 years’ on is not entirely surprising. Social activism, despite the parallel challenge of Web 2.0 platforms, remains heavily dependent on the main stream corporate media as a communication tool. Where was the story? Had it not been covered numerous times before? Was this not like returning to Chernobyl to survey the human fallout? And just as importantly, had these people’s lives not been intruded upon and photographed enough already?. FULL INTERVIEW

Making the past present – the use of photographs in Amnesty International’s campaign on justice for former ‘Comfort Women’ by Rob Godden, 18/05/09

Although Amnesty International is not renowned for its use of photography their campaign supporting the former sexual slaves of the Japanese Imperial army during World War II is worth looking at. In particular, it is interesting to see how the images were an integralpart of a well thought through lobbying strategy, which aimed to mobilize a policy response as much by a moral/emotive argument as a legalistic one.  FULL ARTICLE

Drik – challenging social inequalities through photo activism by Rob Godden, 04/05/09

My journey to the head office of Drik in Dhaka at times felt like a secular pilgrimage. In part this was due to the convoluted and protracted overland route I opted to take from Kathmandu using train, bus and ferry lasting three days. At one point resembling a rite of passage when as the sun set through the smog of the rural brick kilns a puncture brought us to a stand still an hour from our final destination. I should note however, that on reaching Dhaka my journey paled significantly in comparison to the photographer who drove overland from Norway to attend the recent Chobi Mela photographic festival, clocking up 54 days travel – and that was only on the way there.  FULL ARTICLE

‘People War’ – Photographs of War to Promote Peace in Nepal by Rob Godden, 23/04/09

Photographic exhibitions of conflict, human rights abuses or poverty can be compelling and powerful tools to educate us on issues we know little about in places we may never set foot. All too often the awareness and empathy these exhibitions produce is left to dissipate, with no outlet or next step for the audience to take. In my opinion, advocacy campaigns need to channel this energy to be effective. However, when the images are closer to home and connect with our own lives then the outlet for action becomes how we live our own lives and the future choices we make. FULL INTERVIEW