Exhibition Examines Heroes Amid Genocide by The Phnom Penh Post
Posted by Robyn on November 4, 2011 in Press | 0 comments
Exhibition examines heroes amid genocide
- FRIDAY, 04 NOVEMBER 2011
- KYLE SHERER
A photograph on display at The Rescuers exhibition. PIC SUPPLIED
“THE phrase ‘never again’ is often said in regards to never having another holocaust,” said Leora Kahn, founder and executive director of Proof: Media for Social Justice.
“But it has happened again and again. Education and an understanding of how to make the right choice has the possibility of preventing genocide. But I hope that it won’t have to be put to the test.”
Tonight at Meta House, Kahn is opening The Rescuers: Picturing Moral Courage, an exhibition and workshop series that is touring internationally, and is supported by the Proof NGO.
The exhibition contains photographs that document the Holocaust, and genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda and Bosnia. But while the subject matter is grim, the focus of the series is on those who stood up to the brutal oppression; ordinary people who risked everything to do the right thing.
“The idea is the if we raise up the role models – those people who decided to save someone – you show the value of pro-social behavior and diminish the possibly of ‘evil’ behaviour,” Kahn told 7Days.
Before teaming up with other photojournalists to form Proof, Kahn worked as a photo editor and photographer for publications including Time, The New York Times, Rolling Stone and The New Yorker. It’s safe to say that she knows the impact a photograph can have.
Kahn said that she finds some photographs in the exhibition particularly moving.
“I have several favourites, because I love the stories as well as the photos. Truss is one of my favourites – she was a Dutch lady who saved Jewish children during World War II by dressing up as a German officer. She looks like my grandmother but was a very tough lady who killed many Nazis as well as saving people.
“The photograph and story of Hang Rommy is wonderful. She was a very young girl who helped a soldier escape when the Khmer Rough took power. And finally, in Rwanda, my favourite photo is of Enoch and his wife. The photo really conveys their dignity.”
The exhibition is accompanied by several workshops for people aged between 15 and 25.
Kahn said the workshops will involve “training the youth about the importance of being an upstander, or how to make the right choice when a whole group is pressuring you to do something you might not believe in. It’s about moral courage.”
Picturing 7 Billion by The New York Times
Posted by Robyn on November 1, 2011 in Press | 0 comments
October 31, 2011
Picturing 7 Billion
By THE NEW YORK TIMESPicture this.
The United Nations Population Fund estimates that the world’s seven billionth person was born on Monday, most likely in India. There is no way to know precisely who or where that baby is. So we took a few liberties.
We asked the Delhi-based Times freelancer Lynsey Addario — who is seven months pregnant — to photograph some of the babies born on this day. These babies are coming into a rapidly changing world. While we can’t predict what it will be like when they are grown, we can show them what the world was like when they were newborns.
This is a visual time capsule.
Here’s where you come in. We want you to take a photo that will show these children what the world looks like today. We’ll publish a selection of the submissions on Lens. Before you take your picture — only one from each of you — think about what you’d like to tell them about your world. When they turn 20 years old, what will help them envision he world into which they were born?
This is not the only project of its kind. Valerie Belanger has been working on a similar effort, the 7 Billionth Person Project, for more than two years. And The Guardian asks, “What would you say to the world’s 7 billionth person?”
We’ll share your photos with the babies photographed by Ms. Addario. Each of them will receive a keepsake box containing 100 selected images. We’ll look for a range — scenes from different regions, focusing on different subjects, shot in different ways. We’ll ask their parents to show them the collection in 20 years.
We don’t know what will change between now and then. All we can do at this point is paint a picture of our world at seven billion. Please join us.
New Press Post
Posted by admin on October 13, 2011 in Press | 0 comments
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
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Bringing Stories of Heroism to Life
(B/H/S verzija)
Unfortunately in today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina, young people are exposed to many negative examples. Too many entertainers and politicians act from divisive agendas or self-promotion instead of providing positive role models. The media too often focus on crime, scandal, and political deadlock. That’s why I was proud to open the photography exhibit The Rescuers last Thursday. The Rescuers, which will be displayed on the square in front of Sarajevo’s BBI Centar until July 25, tells the stories of remarkable individuals who risked their lives to save others during times of conflict and genocide.
The exhibit shows that heroism is not restricted to one country or ethnic group. Croats, Serbs, Jews, and Bosniaks from Bosnia and Herzegovina—as well as individuals from Rwanda, Cambodia, and elsewhere in Europe—demonstrated the moral courage to reach beyond their fear to act on behalf of someone else. I believe that it is deeply important that we not only look for people who have demonstrated courage and compassion, but that we listen to their stories and publicly recognize the good they have done.
This exhibit is actually part of a bigger project called Picturing Moral Courage. The Embassy has teamed up with the Post Conflict Research Center, Proof: Media for Social Justice, and the Center for Justice and Reconciliation to carry out a three-part program designed to give young people the necessary resources for effecting social change and reconciliation. In addition to The Rescuers, which aims to offer positive role models and recognize the everyday heroes who surround us, the Embassy and our partners also held a two-day youth conference on July 15 and 16. This conference brought together young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, its neighbors in the Balkans, and as far away as the United States, Rwanda, and China.
Ambassador Moon opens the “Picturing Moral Courage Conference”
We used this conference to offer young people new tools to make a difference in their society. Whether having a Q&A session with Abigail Disney, Producer of the award-winning film Pray the Devil Back to Hell, learning about how to use sports for social change, or hearing the personal stories of some of the heroes featured in The Rescuers, the students also had a chance to voice their opinions and form new networks. I was especially proud that two of the Embassy’s Youth Leadership Program alumni—Hajrudin Coralic and Borislav Buljic—shared their wisdom with their peers during a panel called “The Youth Speak Out.” They were joined on stage
