World Press Photo launches latest book
‘World Press Photo: New Stories’ is a new book that features the work of 10 young photographers from the developing world who were given an “open brief” to produce a personal photo essay shot in their countries and inspired by one of the UN’s eight stated Millennium Development Goals.
The latest World Press Photo book is designed to highlight some of the key issues facing the developing world and it was officially launched at the beginning of the annual World Press Photo weekend, held in Amsterdam from 25 to 27 April 2008.
World Press Photo managing director Michiel Munneke explained: “The book is a showcase for the power of visual storytelling. It features the issues that matter to them – the perspectives are theirs. They are our visual interpreters.”
© Atul Loke/Panos Pictures
An Indian widow with HIV struggling to support her family.
The book features 187 images and was photo edited by the director of Panos Pictures photo agency, Adrian Evans. He commented: “New Stories is a celebration of photography and the championing of photojournalism in the developing world. I took on the project because I knew it would take me out of my comfort zone and educate me as well.”
The 10 photographers selected for the book project were all former participants in the World Press Photo’s training programmes in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. They are Abir Abdullah (from Bangladesh), Mariana Bazo (Peru), Bevis Fusha (Albania), Kemal Jufri (Indonesia), Atul Loke (India), Mwanzo Millinga (Tanzania), Karen Mirzoyan (Armenia), Mehran Afshar Naderi (Iran), Sudharak Olwe (India), and Tolga Sezgin
(from Turkey).
The themes addressed in ‘World Press Photo: New Stories’ range from organic farming in Turkey to the treatment of fistula in Tanzania, and young entrepreneurs in Peru to the consequences of climate change in Bangladesh, as well as a study of the effects of HIV on families in India.
One of the contributing photographers, Kemal Jufri, spoke to CPN about the difficulties faced by photographers in his country. He explained: “On the one hand, in Indonesia, photography is contextually thriving, but on the other there is a very limited number of print publications that can provide a decent platform for photojournalists. We do have a gallery in Jakarta that was established in 1995 and is mainly for photojournalists. Lots of excellent photojournalists have been produced so, in general, I do feel positive for the growth of photojournalism in Indonesia.”
© Kemal Jufri/Polaris Images
One of the images from Kemal Jufri’s documentation of two sisters who set up a school for slum children in Indonesia.
To give an example of how little is often understood about the developing world by the mass media Adrian Evans explained: “There is the story of one newspaper ringing up a picture agency and asking for shots of Tamil Tigers in the wild.” Talking about the book he added: “These are all stories that the photographers are close to – that someone on a picture desk in London or New York cannot understand.”
The publication of ‘World Press Photo: New Stories’ was supported by Canon, TNT, Oxfam Novib, and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is now available to buy from the World Press Photo online bookstore - click here to find out more.
