Rebecca Kamara in her village studio. Rebecca has set up her own photography business in her village in Sierra Leone.

I picked up this interesting initiative from a tweet by duckrabbit this morning. The BBC story is rather inspiring and worth a read. I won’t regurgitate it here. However, in summary – the photographer, Lee Karen Stow, was born in Hull, which happens to be twinned with Freetown in Sierra Leone. She went to the country to deliver greetings cards produced by women in Hull and organized a workshop. Fifty women turned up wanting to learn photography. It was the women’s enthusiasm that sparked off ’42′ (named after the life expectancy of a woman in Sierra Leone). The rest is history. Check out the article for more details.

The project is an example of the role participatory photography can play in engaging communities and, in some circumstances, generating income (see my article ‘Participatory Photography – Jack of all trades, master of none?‘ for more on this). As in many cases, what starts as a small scale initiative develops a life of its own. In reading about ’42′ I was reminded of Yasmine Eid-Sabbagh’s work  in Lebanon.

My favorite quote from the BBC article on Stow is this;

“Credit and publicity for the photographer doesn’t put food on the table. It is very disappointing; the whole idea for the project is to train indigenous photographers because I believe we do get a more balanced view of the world that way. Gone are the days of the wealthy Westerner taking pictures of poor people in Africa.”

If only that were true. And yes, the debate over the advantages of local over foreign photographers will no doubt run and run. However, for me the benefits of hiring locally outweigh jetting someone in. Local knowledge, language, cultural reading, not standing out, access, ability to spend lengths of time with subjects, developing local talent…not to mention less carbon footprint. There will be many variables and considerations – not least other aspects of identity such as class, ethnicity, gender and religion within countries that will also have an influence. I am open to the advantages an outsider can bring which could be described as being able to ‘see the woods for the trees’ due to the newness / uniqueness of seeing for the first time. But what ever side you come down on Stow is right for another crucial reason – the reality is that there are an increasing amount of competent and talented local photographers quite capable of delivering the goods (not to mention an avalanche of digital images from everyone else). The economic realities of that will win the day.

For more on photographing Sierra Leone see my interview ‘Sophia Spring on Sweet Salone‘.

If you have followed Duckrabbit over the last couple of years you will no doubt know they produce an excellent blog and exceptional multi-media work. However, their recent work for MSF and Oxfam sits some what uncomfortably with the position they often seem to support. Advocates for the voice of those in the developing world to be at the forefront of audio-visual communications, these voices are conspicuously absent from their most recent work. In both the pieces for MSF and Oxfam we predominantly hear from white Westerners who can be described to differing degrees as outsiders. All others are passive receivers of their largesse. We hear very little from those actually from the countries where these problems exist, let alone those who suffer. The claim that the work Duckrabbit did for Oxfam is unique because it is unscripted seems to ignore whose voice is included and whose is absent.

Now, to be fair, both sets of ads are aimed at raising funds in the UK. They are aimed at a UK audience with a specific objective in mind – that they motivate people to give money. The question is – does this mean the voices of the rights holders should be absent? Or more to the point – in order to better understand the problems and balance the relationships between the developed and developing world should we not have voices from both sides represented? I feel uneasy writing this as I admire the folks at Duckrabbit and consider them a progressive force in this field. But feel the need to ask these questions given the work they have produced recently. I welcome their response and hope it contributes to the healthy debate they themselves have fostered so well through their blog.

UPDATE: You can read an initial response from Peter at Duckrabbit here.

Save the Children released research this week that claims ‘aid works’. This appears to be more than an exercise in accountability or impact assessment. This looks like the defense of aid in the face of a recession, negative press and a changing world. Part of the response from Save the Children is the video above. It is a film of two halves. Firstly, it gives us old school skeletal infant shots (and even chimes in with images from the Ethiopian famine of the 1980′s and a shot of the crowd at LiveAid from 1985, in case we’ve forgotten how we gave money in the past). Image after image of mainly poor children from the African continent. In the second half we get a up to date animation about how many lives UK aid could save in the next four years. The narrator tips his hat to economic investment and industry as drives to reduce poverty, but throughout we are given a rather retro vision of both Africa and development. We never see a bustling city. Modernity (except medical appliances and transportation bringing aid) is conspicuously absent. We don’t hear how several countries in Africa and Asia now have healthy economic growth rates and growing middle classes. Nor do we hear anything about what people in developing countries are doing themselves to reduce poverty. Not that Save the Children should be painting an overly rosy picture. Why would they if they feel under attack. But I can’t help feel that the video represents a broader failure of imagination in how we represent humanitarian assistance. The narrow picture presented tries to address what is perceived as ‘compassion fatigue’ (or at least the threat of a reduction in donations – whether that is due to a reduction in compassion or a growing conviction that aid is generally wasted is debatable). Halfway through we get a good dose of shock therapy, that all this good work could be undone ‘in the blink of an eye’. But the world has changed and I suspect few are now won over by such melodrama.

Back in September I posted that the new MSF ‘Starved for Attention‘ series of videos made in collaboration with VII were well worth a view. However, I’m not so sure about the latest offering, ‘Kenya & Somalia: Why do we have to wait for a crisis?‘ We are subjected to a series of choppy edits throughout (the narrative reasoning for this is rather lost on me) consisting of image after image of people queuing for food, naked kids in desolate landscapes and the occasional dried animal carcass. Not that these scenes don’t exist, but it is a rather tired approach (that their other pieces seemed to avoid). It is not until halfway through, when the piece has moved its focus from Kenya to Somalia, that we hear from any of these people themselves. And then only for about 30 seconds. We don’t hear from anyone in Kenya.

Instead we have a narrative from an MSF expert on nutrition. Not that this isn’t interesting – I certainly learnt something about the inappropriate food supplied in such emergencies, and the new alternatives MSF is trying to push. As a technical lobbying piece it has some merits, but as a public engagement tool I wonder if a stronger emphasis on the people pictured would have helped us understand what it meant to be in need of such support? Just because the solution is technical – switch from this suppliment to this more effective one – doesn’t mean you have to tell a bland, technical story. As a result I wonder how engaged viewers will be by the end? Enough to click through to the petition?

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More good stuff from Duckrabbit. Good to have the voice of the mother. Would like to have heard from the local doctors too. More here.

Obviously, some countries are more attractive than others as places to live, though much will depend on where you are from and what you like. However, some are not predisposed to peaceful, easy living. But even in the most economically destitute places on the planet the picture is far more nuanced than is often represented in the media. Case in point, Foreign Policy’s ‘Postcards from Hell.’ The piece takes an ever so fleeting look at 60 of the world’s top ‘failed states’ (they even get a numerical rating ranking how fucked they are). For each we get one photo and a paragraph describing the country’s wows. Mainly focussed on African and South Asia in includes some places that currently have or have had in the recent past some troubled times. But rather than shed light on under-reported conflicts and poverty it just slaps a huge ‘FUCKED’ label on a host of vastly different countries and situations (sometimes even whilst admitting things are on the up).

But the problems don’t end there. Some of the countries included on the list are highly questionable – Bhutan? Exactly how is this a ‘failed state’? If you are going to list it then at least mention the 100,000 people who were forced to leave and have now lived in Nepal as refugees for 15 years. Or Bangladesh, admittedly not without problems but has made good progress in recent years. And Nepal, experiencing post-conflict political difficulties, but at least they are ‘post-conflict (and FP, no serious analyst on Nepal at the moment thinks the Maoists will go back to war). I could list more – the point being, what is this list trying to achieve? Show people in wealthy countries that despite the ‘Great Recession’ that things could be a lot worse?

In this piece FP have demonstrated exactly how NOT to do a foreign correspondent photo piece. It provides just enough info to add to the over simplified images perpetuated by much of the media on these parts of our world, but not enough to show the complex, and often positive, side of things. Certainly, individuals who feature are characters, composites of poverty and violence. No lives are explored and revealed. I am surprised there wasn’t an accompanying map with big red crosses just to show us where not to go. Nonsense.

The BBC article today on Rob Crilly’s new book, ‘Saving Darfur, Everyone’s Favourite Africa War‘ reminded me of how NGOs sometimes over simplify issues and in doing so run the risk of unintended negative consequences.

Crilly argues that, as a journalist sent to cover conflicts in Africa, he was predominantly told to focus on Darfur as to outsiders it appeared to be simpler to understand (good guys vs. bad guys) than other conflicts in the region (Somalia or DRC). However, as he explored the issues and country he found things to be far more complex – nuances that were not communicated in the celebrity led campaigns.

Campaigns are designed to change the world for the better. But anyone who works as a campaigner will tell you that what looks simple on paper becomes a whole different proposition when you unleash it into the noise and alternative outcomes of real life. This is an accepted risk. What you don’t want to do it add to this risk. This can happen when you either rigidly pursue ideological or principled positions or over simplify a complex issues as a means of communication. The former often happens in human rights campaigning, predominantly driven by lawyers working in the incomplete realm of international human rights law or in countries where the rule of law remains weak. The latter is seen more in environmental campaigns, particularly regarding global warming and its impact of those living in poverty.

The corporatisation of INGOs – rolling out ‘international campaigns’ on broad themes – demanding strap lines, promotional videos and celebrity endorsement – means that detail can be easily lost. In fact, it raises the question of whether INGOs wish their supporters to be truly informed of the nuances at all? On-line campaigning and fund-raising allow ‘light touch’ activism and giving – almost time commitment free. Rather than invest in products that communicate the complexities of issues – crediting their audience with the intelligence to understand and digest issues that are far from black and white – INGOs appear to bank on short promo pieces that are focussed on extracting £25 from you.

There may be no easy answers – NGOs need money to function as professional organisations and people are perceived just not to have time – but over simplification, such as ‘Climate Change = Poverty’ or ‘Human Rights = Less Poverty’ illustrated by a celeb photographer’s shots may sound good in the brain-storming session at HQ but are unlikely to generate a sustained level of engagement that will contribute to long term positive developments.

NGOs will obviously put forward one side of the argument. The trust levels they enjoy are based on the perception that they are ‘objective’ or ‘independent’ enough to be giving us a balanced picture. In the main this remains the case, but this should not be taken for granted. It is not easy to produce nuanced and compelling audio-visual communication tools on what can be complex issues. It can be expensive too. But in the long term this will be an investment that NGOs will reap in the future, with a truly informed constituency to mobilise on issues that require a sustained and committed response.

Filed under: Campaigning Tagged: Africa, Sudan ]]> http://therightsexposureproject.com/2011/06/22/over-simplifying-the-world-can-be-bad-for-its-health/feed/ 0 buddhasbreakfast Darfur http://therightsexposureproject.com/2011/02/27/hold-the-sun-in-your-had-greenpeace-solar-project-in-kenya/ http://therightsexposureproject.com/2011/02/27/hold-the-sun-in-your-had-greenpeace-solar-project-in-kenya/#comments Sun, 27 Feb 2011 05:36:06 +0000 buddhasbreakfast http://therightsexposureproject.com/?p=2206 ]]> When I first saw this set of photos by Stanley Greene for Noor I felt some affinity as they deal with the challenge of securing electricity in poor communities. At this time of year Nepal is in its darkest days (literally) of ‘load shedding’ – or more accurately – power cuts. The cuts last 14 hours per day at the moment, but will undoubtedly go up to 16 or 18 hrs before the monsoon arrives to power the river-fed hydro projects. In 1996, I spent 4 months in a village here that was yet to be connected to the grid – thus no refrigeration or electric light (have you ever tried reading by kerosene lamp?). Solar would work here but most community projects look to micro-hydro due to initial installation costs.

Projects like those shown here run by Greenpeace are not going to address the state’s failure to keep up with the power demand of the country. The resulting economic impact of such a huge short fall of electricity, or for that matter the slow pace in connecting remote communities outside major urban centres (or informal settlements within) will not be dented by solar power running a few lamps or computers. However, for the communities they may make all the difference in being able to study or keeping produce fresh for retail. The solar lamp scheme pictured by Greene – where members of the Kibera Community Youth Programme (KCYP) were trained in assembling solar powered lamps is the type of initiative Greenpeace should be spending its time promoting (rather than its boys-with-toys adventure activism nonsense).

Now, lets hope there is enough power for me to watch England vs. India in the Cricket World Cup this afternoon…

JOHN MACCAULEY, 20. John was 10 years old when he made the staggering decision to leave his family and join ‘The House of Jesus for the Disabled’ – a community of around 50 disabled men and women that life on a small plot of land in the middle of Freetown. As a child he would play with the children in this community, and as a result of the friendships he forged he decided that he would like to dedicate his life to helping them. He was the first ‘healthy’ to join the ‘The House of Jesus’, and is now an invaluable member of it. He spends his days there repairing wheelchairs and making new ones out of old prams. John is also an adept tailor, and teaches many in the community this skill. The ethos of ‘The House of Jesus’ is to move away from a culture of dependency, and to move towards a level of self-sufficiency. By learning certain skills, such as tailoring, they can earn an income to support themselves and their families, instead of being completely reliant on aid and the generosity of others.

Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world, with terrible rates of infant mortality and one of the lowest life expectancies in Africa.  But these stark statistics should not define the region, or its people. I could have so easily turned my lens to the inhabitants of Kroo Bay (one of the worst slums in the world), but that would have been too easy, and too reductive a view of Sierra Leone.

‘This is the first time in over 20 years that I have studied. I work very hard, but I don’t mind because I love what we learn here…….one day I would like to set up my own salon’. HALIMATU KADIA CONTEH, 34.

Ultimately I feel very ambivalent about the kind of ‘shoot and run’ tactics employed by some photographers that sees them profit from someone else’s hardship. I also question how helpful these snapshot images are in promoting the cause of LEDCs. I feel that we are so often bombarded with media images of poverty that we have become almost desensitised to such sights.  I think it’s now time we start to represent those in the third world as individuals, not as victims.  Perhaps this change of tact could have a profound effect on the way we view the developing world, and the lives of the people that live there.

“Political tolerance, further education and civil liberties – without these things our country cannot move forward." Andrew Koromah brought the concept of independent journalism to Sierra Leone. In the early 1990’s he set-up Kiss FM and Sky Radio, the country’s first independent radio stations. These were instrumental in linking Sierra Leone throughout the civil war, and importantly they gave each faction a public voice during the conflict. His efforts have been recognised internationally, and he has won a number of awards including the Knight Press Fellowship from the International Centre of Journalism in Washington. Andrew tirelessly ploughs all his energies into the development of Sierra Leone, whether it is the creation of community radio stations, or the lobbying of government for the ratification of treaties, including the Convention of the Rights of Children. “Sierra Leone is still a deeply polarized country... we need to cultivate a greater level of unification in order to progress.” ANDREW KROMAH, 53.

This at least was my aim – and so I set out to photograph and interview as broad a cross section of Sierra Leonean society as possible. I met everyone from musicians to village chiefs, civil servants to dollar boys, hairdressers to taxi drivers, soldiers to schoolgirls.  Consequently I came away with a very rich understanding of what Sierra Leone is like today, and I can tell you that it is a country that is characterised by so much more than its poverty and sad history. It has fully moved on from the civil war that defines it in so many people’s imaginations, and it now stands as a nation steeped in optimism and hope.  The country still has a long way to go, but if the opportunities on offer could match the motivation of its people, then Sierra Leone would be positively thriving by now. As it stands there is a dearth of employment in the country. Aid still floods in, a lot of which is channelled into education, but without jobs this education is not capitalised on.

“What do I love about this country? Take a look around you...what’s not to love? MARLENA BANDU, 29.

Today Sierra Leone has a huge amount to offer; it’s rich in minerals, has a climate perfectly suited to agriculture and has some of the most beautiful beaches in Africa. What Sierra Leone would now benefit from alongside aid is foreign investment, better infrastructure and sustainable tourism.  All of this would provide much sought after jobs, which in turn would bolster the economy and allow Sierra Leone to flourish independently of aid. However these things will not start to happen until outdated perceptions of the country are changed.  It is my hope that this project has gone some way to doing this.

Sophia Spring

To see the full set of photos and stories go here.