What innovative role can participatory photography have in the field of international development cooperation? Why should we give room to art and how can it have a social function? We will talk about this at the DAR Foto Festival in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, taking place From 2nd until 4th February.
This second edition of the photography festival aims to show the power of visual storytelling.
Thanks to a workshop that will involve several Tanzanian female photographers, we will have the opportunity to present to the public the innovative methodology of Participatory Photography, a tool that we started to develop in Mozambique in 2023 and that we will continue to use in Tanzania and Kenya during 2024 to ensure people living in the country are at the centre of their own narrative.
Read here our projects in Mozambique.
The Participatory Photography methodology aims to promote dialogue, understanding and positive community engagement on issues related to conflict, gender dynamics and the promotion of peace and equality.
"In line with this way of understanding photography, the "community photographers" who will participate in the project will use the act of photographing as a tool for reflection and sharing on conflict dynamics that directly involve themselves and their communities, with a specific focus on gender dynamics," explains Piero Meda, WeWorld's Country Representative in Tanzania. "At the same time, the aim is to highlight and promote community practices and values that contribute to peace, social cohesion and gender equality. WeWorld in Tanzania has always supported this type of arts because it believes that change can happen with the support of all channels and styles of social communication.”
In February, a Tanzanian photographer will be joined by an international photographer to create an international collective and 40 community photographers will be trained. The result? A photographic exhibition that will contribute to the construction of a growing narrative of social change and emancipation.
Art thus becomes an instrument capable of proposing and conveying messages of community relevance. In this perspective, photography acquires a fundamental role within society of all times and becomes a stimulus for social and political dialogue, acting as a catalyst for reflection and discussion.
