An organisation that aims to encourage and support indigenous photographers from the developing world is widening its network.
Majority World wants to ensure that the lives of those in areas commonly associated with suffering and poverty are captured by photographers who may be able to offer fresh angles, sometimes missing in the images shown on mainstream media.
Majority World is a global initiative founded through the collaboration between The Drik Picture Library of Bangladesh and kijijiVision in the UK to champion the cause of indigenous photographers from the developing world and the global South, a region the organisation calls the majority world.
The “majority world” covers more than 80% of the global population. Shahidul Alam, who chairs Majority World, has been campaigning since the early 1990s for this phrase to replace other terms such as “developing world” and “third world”, which he feels reinforces negative stereotypes by continuing to associate these countries only with economic poverty, ignoring each country’s cultural and social wealth.
The organisation feels that for many years the world’s view of the lives of those in this region has been captured through the lenses of Western photographers, and may not have always reflected the true story behind the images.
The aim is to correct that perceived imbalance while, at the same time, providing a platform for indigenous photographers and agencies to gain fair access to global image markets.
The organisation is now widening its network. Any photographer, born and living in the majority world, is invited to contact the Majority World and demonstrate their skills.
The thinking is that those who live in the areas being photographed and filmed and who are part of the culture and speak the language may be able to offer the world a view on the news that may be missed by others.
To get in touch, email Majority World.
Courtesy Media Helping Media