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Images of girls and girls’ education – UNICEF review their use of images

Posted on 20/04/2010 by buddhasbreakfast

It is rare to come across any detailed analysis of the use of images in social activism, let alone an organisation publishing its own internal research. So, this report by UNICEF – ‘Images of girls and girls’ education: Reviewing and Rethinking‘ makes interesting reading.

Published in March 2009, it presents research conducted over six months with focus groups who viewed 16 images depicting girls in education. The research targeted relevant stakeholders for participation in the focus groups. The results illustrate this selection (demonstrating their expose to the development sector), and it would have been interesting to include participants from outside this field, and more people from the countries photographed.

The report makes interesting reading, not least because of the recognition expressed that single images often fail to show the complexities of situations being presented. As such the recommendation to produce more ‘photo essays’ is welcome.

kirk_magno_unicef_images_re

Filed under: Multi-media, Photography | Tagged: children, representation, research, UN | Leave a Comment »

The Third Frame: NGO and Photography Conference in London

Posted on 01/03/2010 by spanishinmotion

The Third Frame: visual imagery and the representation of the majority world

10 March 2010, 10.30-17.00

Location:

Main lecture theatre
London College of Communication
Elephant and Castle
London SE1 6SB

This one day conference at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, in collaboration with OPEN-i, POLIS at the LSE and One World Media, ‘will address the problematic relationship of visual imagery and the majority world, focusing specifically on the interactions between practitioners, NGO’s and their audiences‘.

The conference will include presentations from film makers, photographers, academics and NGO staff and ‘will seek to critically engage with the stereotypes of development and the possible alternatives to them‘.

The conference will explore ‘the shift from the traditional approaches to the coverage of development issues, either that of the journalist or of the fundraiser, towards an emergent ‘third way’, where practitioners and charities work much more closely together‘.

Presentations will include Ed Kashi, Professor Lilie Chouliaraki LSE, professor David Campbell of Durham university, Jessica Crombie of Water Aid, Olivia Arthur of Magnum, Rachel Palmer of Save the Children, Jennifer Pollard of LCC, Ben Chesterton of Duckrabbit and filmmaker Sandhya Suri. There will be a ‘world café’ style session over lunch for debate and discussion. POLIS Director Charlie Beckett will chair the final plenary session of the day.

Places are limited so please rsvp to thethirdframe@googlemail.com

Filed under: Photography | Tagged: conference, NGO, research | Leave a Comment »

‘Real lives are like novels not legal documents’ – How NGOs should be using photos and video in social activism.

Posted on 04/12/2009 by buddhasbreakfast

Paul Close's photographic project 'The Snakebox Odyssey' asked a simple question, 'Is there one thing that could make your life better?' and in doing so was one of the most creative uses of photography I came across this year.

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. The other reason is, despite having looked at hundreds of examples of visuals put into the service of social activism, I feel that the answer will always be evolving. This is particularly the case at present with the explosion of possibilities offered by the digital revolution and Web 2.0. We are like frontiers men in new territory (minus the genocide of indigenous people that is, unless that is photographic film…hmmm probabaly wise to leave this metaphor alone).

Activists demonstrating in support of a photography exhibition "Into Exile: Tibet 1949 - 2009" at the Drik Gallery in Dhaka. Drik came under tremendous pressure to close down the photographic exhibition from both the Chinese Embassy and officers from the Bangladesh Police Special Branch. This was one of the most powerful reminders of both the power of images and governments desire to censor.

I started The Rights Exposure Project blog in February 2009 in an attempt to answer two questions. One of them is;

‘How can I use visual media better in my work as a human rights campaigner?’

Eight years working at Amnesty International in London is enough for me to say with some authority that both personally and as an organisation we are not using visual media as well as we could. I do not mean that we are not using enough photos and video (though sometimes we do not), or that they are not of an adequate quality (though sometimes they are not), but that we have failed to recognise the true power of these media as a tool to increase the impact of our work. We are effectively tying one arm behind our backs. Our one good arm (the most widely staffed and funded) remains the tried and tested research that Amnesty International is known for. Presented as written reports, the organisation must bang out around one hundred of these every year (a quick search on the Amnesty library turns up 119 written reports verses 13 audio-visual products in 2009), year after year, sending them off to governments, business leaders, academics, NGOs and the media. These are accompanied by numerous press releases and briefing papers. All good stuff, a veritable production line of evidence documenting human rights abuses across the globe delivered directly to those with the power to make the required changes, assuming there is the necessary political will.

Will we ever see Green Dam girl represent Amnesty International research?

(more…)

Filed under: Article, Campaigning | Tagged: famine, NGO, participatory photography, representation, research | 7 Comments »

Nuru – the worst development video ever?

Posted on 18/11/2009 by buddhasbreakfast

OK, I admit to being a bit bored today so excuse my venom. However, this promo has got to rank in at least the top 5 worst videos for social activism I have seen this year, and I have seen a lot of tosh.

You can watch the video here.

Nuru claims to be ‘doing development differently’. Now, development is not my field, and I am not questioning their motivations or even whether they have positive impact, but a quick look at their site shows that they do what most international development NGOs do – community participatory projects. Anyway, that isn’t the point. The point is how bad the video is. It goes a bit like this…

Guy in US military sees how crap the world is whilst on various tours of duty – cue various shots of the ‘terrible Third World’ (plus a bit of ‘terrorism’ in the First World) in super fast edit accompanied by the type of metal that US soldiers listen to in their Hummers. Marine(?) has an epiphany in Iraq and sets up his own NGO. The world is getting better, cue happy people and music . The End.

This video manages to squeeze in overtly negative imagery, using what has been termed the ‘shock effect‘ that looks to stimulate so-called ‘grand emotion‘, firing ‘pity‘ and ‘indignation‘ to create activism. It then goes to the other extreme and blasts us with overtly positive imagery (when the NGO arrive), firing ‘empathy‘ and ‘gratitude‘, in the ‘commodification of solidarity‘. In doing so it suppresses the complex dimensions of development and thus distorts the limits of such interventions.

Too harsh? Maybe. After all it is just a promo video, and these tend to be the most easy to criticise. But personally speaking the world I see, sitting in one of the Least Developed Countries, is not like this. I think we would all be better off with a far more nuanced and realistic picture of the world. But maybe the guys at Nuru have it right, maybe an MTV style approach is what is needed to get through to their target audience? The trouble with looking at audiences in this way (pitching at what they know) is that we never move on to a more informed way of looking at the world, and that is a pity.

For more on humanitarian communication I recommend ‘Post humanitarianism: Humanitarian communication beyond a politics of pity’ by Prof. Lilie Chouliaraki at the LSE / POLIS (UK).

HumanitarianCommunicationBeyondPoliticsofPity_Chouliaraki

Filed under: Campaigning, Video | Tagged: development, representation, research | 1 Comment »

Mexican lawyers use video cameras to free man

Posted on 03/11/2009 by buddhasbreakfast

In my experience lawyers are not usually that open to the impact visual media can have on improving human rights. Don’t get me wrong, some of my best friends and colleagues are lawyers and they know all the technical stuff that baffles my brain. However, unless I come to them with some forensic photos they are not so interested. So, you can imagine how excited I was to see this story on two Mexican lawyers who successfully got a murder conviction against an innocent man overturned by filming his re-trial.

A Great Story

Layda Negrete and Roberto Hernández took the case of Antonio Zuñiga, a street vendor who was arrested for murder while out for a walk in December 2005. Antonio had been convicted but the lawyers managed to get a retrial because his original lawyer was a fake! Knowing that the system was a bit rubbish they asked if they could film the trial, which turned out to be no better than the first, upholding the conviction of Antonio!

However, with video footage in hand they approached the appeals court who were so shocked by what they saw they over turned the conviction. But that was not all, Negrete and Hernández went on to make several films and presentations using trial and interview footage combined with research data to demonstrate the failings of the justice system and need for reforms. With this they helped lobby for constitutional changes by showing them to key decision makers and those with influence, eventually achieving success in June 2008.

The documentary, ‘Presumed Guilty‘, about Zuñiga’s trial was funded by the Hewlett Foundation.

“The film provided a very powerful platform for the research data itself,” said C. R. Hibbs, program officer and managing director for Mexico for Hewlett’s Global Development Program. “It provided much wider impact than we would be able to get from funding the research alone.”

More than an illustration

So often in my work with researchers and legal professionals I find that photographs are seen as an added extra. Nice, but not necessary – good for the cover of a report or inside to break up the text. Video can be useful for testimony but is rarely gathered. What strikes me about this story of the two Mexican lawyers is they recognised the fundemental power of communication tools – they asked themselves the question, ‘what is the best way for us to get our message across?‘ They had a load of research data, and most would have been happy with that, displayed in a dry PowerPoint presentation or briefing document. But they focussed on impact, and for that they knew the value of real world examples delivered by those people whose lives were touched. And it worked.

When researchers are snowed under trying to gather information and communicate with contacts around the world they are understandably not so open to trying new things without knowing their utility. Equally, managers trying to run their programmes with limited budget are not going to fork out substantial amounts on untested techniques. In my view what is lacking is not the will or imagination, but the insight, examples and support in order for people to know what is available and how it can work. Only then can they make informed and innovative decisions. This support needs to be institutional, in an NGO, otherwise it will always come down to individual’s knowledge of what is possible. Training for staff on how video, photography and other visual media is and can be used would go a long way to improving the way these tools are used in social activism.

This could include basic training for researchers and campaigners on how to use cameras and camcorders; how to plan the communications for your campaign, including working with professional photographers and film makers; what tools are available and how they can be delivered (especially via the internet); and basics on ethics, visual language, consent and representation (includng the use of participatory methods).

Get all that up and running and I think you may be on to a winner.

Thanks to the excellent Wronging Rights blog for bring this to my attention. For more on this story click here.

Filed under: Campaigning, Film | Tagged: Americas, Caribbean&Central America, fair trial, Mexico, research | Leave a Comment »

Ctrl+Alt+Shift film comp winners with a bit of Darwin and human rights thrown in

Posted on 08/10/2009 by buddhasbreakfast

Some admirable short films make up the winners of the Ctrl+Alt+Shift film competition. Of particular note are ‘War School‘ and ‘No Way Through‘ (below) that use the technique of placing the violation in the audience’s world (if you live in the UK that is). I think this can be used just as powerfully in ‘constructed‘ still images, and wonder why it is not used more? I like it as it tries to tackle the gap between the audience’s world and that of the so-called ‘distant other‘ we can so readily ignore, even though we may extend our pity (geez, got to stop reading that academic stuff!).

more about “nn“, posted with vodpod

more about “Ctrl.Alt.Shift Film Competition Winne…“, posted with vodpod

Anyway, for me the power of visual media is its ability to try to bridge that gap, to get us to see others within our circle of concern, produce empathy, and so to extend our assistance.

This innate human capacity was discussed in some depth by Professor Conor Gearty, ex-Director the the LSE Centre for the Study of Human Rights, in a lecture in May 2009, where he links Darwinism and human rights. Interesting stuff (plus he is very funny). In short Gearty focusses on reciprocal altruism, and how this works to extend our compassion to those at a distance as well as our immediate ‘clan‘. This can produce both great acts of humanity and atrocities, depending on whether we extend or close the circle of who we help. I particularly love his focus on what human rights mean as feelings and acts rather than laws and treaties, again pointing to the vital role visual media can play in the human rights movement with its power to touch us deeply.

Congratulations to Alexandra Monro & Sheila Menon for ‘No Way Through‘, and Ben Newman for ‘War School‘.

As yet another aside, you may wish to compare the above videos with this ad made by Amnesty International UK. This reverses the technique and puts the audience in the world of the ‘distant other‘. The implication being that the acts of individuals who are distant can have an impact on others’ lives. Whether this is disingenuous, even as a metaphor, is up for debate. A more interesting point is how the individuals are depicted as an outside intervening force to predominantly helpless people who seem rather irrelevant to the whole process, or at least don’t get much focus. Couldn’t each ‘saviour’ have been depicted with the person they ‘rescued’ rather than alone? Or could we have seen acts where individuals from (in this case the UK) joined others in protest or action, rather than them being passive?

more about “You Are Powerful“, posted with vodpod

Filed under: Film | Tagged: competition, human rights, NGO, representation, research | 2 Comments »

Wire service from the world’s slums…

Posted on 16/09/2009 by buddhasbreakfast

Between 10-14 August I attended the Video Volunteers camp in Goa, India. The camp included training in various media, including video, animation, blogging and on-line activism, as well as panel discussions on community media. It was attended by community video producers, journalists, film makers and activists.

Video Volunteers facilitates the establishment of Community Video Units (CVUs) in marginalised communities in India. The CVUs are staffed by people from these communities. They produce regular video magazines on issues that impact the lives of those living in the communities, and screen these magazines in the communities themselves. Each video is accompanied by a ‘call to action’ on how to address the problem. At present there are around 20 such units in India, with the aim of establishing more, including in other countries. At present VV is developing projects in Brazil.

Video Volunteers are experimenting with different models to achieve sustainability and scalability. The aim is to make the CVUs self sufficient and independent. At present each CVU is partnered by a local NGO, including financial assistance. In up-scaling the CVUs they hope to bring tools and skills to millions of people in poverty so that they can represent their lives – lives that the mainstream media all but ignores. A ‘wire service from the slums of the world‘ as Jessica Mayberry puts it.

To watch examples of the videos produced by the CVUs go to Channel 19.

After the camp I travelled to Mumbai to visit two of the CVUs and their partner NGOs. Apna TV, who work with Akshara, and Hamari Awaaz, who work with Yuva. The CVU producers, consisting mainly of young people, are full of energy and ideas, and have developed considerable competency in making news magazine style videos. Impact appears to vary, much depending on what issues they are trying to tackle. The format seems to work well in challenging corruption or failure to provide infrastructure services, like roads, water and sanitation, by informing people of their rights and providing visual evidence of what is absent. However, changing social practices and attitudes, unsurprisingly, is a longer term affair, though individuals I talked to said video had proved very useful in facilitating dialogue on difficult issues.

Many thanks to Jessica, Stalin, Sapna and Bhawana for making my time with them such a pleasure.

Filed under: Training, Video | Tagged: Asia, India, NGO, research, South Asia | Leave a Comment »

‘In New Media, Image Is Still Everything’

Posted on 15/09/2009 by buddhasbreakfast

Interesting article in the National Journal magazine on the digital democratisation of image making. It covers the usual questions of how this ‘revolution‘ will impact on socio-political events, particularly in regard to so-called ‘citizen journalism’?

So, as you would imagine the question of undemocratic / censoring political systems comes up, especially China and Iran, and whether governments today can get away with the atrocities they did in years gone by? My view is that more people producing images and making them available to more people is all very well but the impact this will be determined by how they are used and people are mobilised. As the article points out, we should not fall into the trap of heralding yet another technological advance as the end of human oppression.

There are several key issues to consider; 1) ‘Do the math‘ - more stuff being produced means most stuff will get lost in the noise. Some stuff will float to the top and others will sink without trace. There may be more stuff out there but audiences will form into interest groups and be splintered; 2) ‘We are all human’ – our capacity, interest and time to process information are finite, no matter what snazzy web collators / filterers you use. Already issue groups compete for people’s time and money, this will only intensify; 3) ‘Get involved’ – getting info to people is one thing, getting them to act is another. To have impact you need to be organised, to mobilise people the info needs to be packaged for the audience and be trustworthy; 4) ‘Witnessing’ – the camera does lie, governments do too, images alone do not change the world (see point 3). Don’t assume that because a government is caught with their trousers down (or guns out) that things will change (i.e. Oct 2007 demos in Burma, March 2008 Tibet etc.); 5) ‘What we have governments have’ – OK, you no longer have to rely on state TV to get the ‘news’ but governments still have a great deal of resources at their disposal to spread propaganda. Groups wanting to spread hate and violence for what ever reason also have these tools, and as such we may just see an esscalation in info competition, cancelling out any major benefits in tipping the balance in the favour of peace and love.

Filed under: Multi-media | Tagged: media, research | Leave a Comment »

Humanising Photography – Durham University conference

Posted on 31/08/2009 by buddhasbreakfast

The Durham Centre for Advanced Photographic studies, in collaboration with Autograph ABP, is organising a conference entitled ‘Humanising Photography’ between 25-27 September. It aims to explore ‘the relationship between photography, humanism, human rights and humanitarianism.’ Click here for details.

Filed under: Photography | Tagged: conference, research | Leave a Comment »

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