Collective Lens: Photography for Social Change

Environmental Grafitti has a gallery of Nigeria's Floating Slum in Lagos. The photos are inspiring yet heartbreaking, and depict daily life in this harsh environment.

Shacks sit atop rickety stilts while flotillas of trash slowly drift past down below. Crowds of people paddle past through the stagnant waters in boats, and foul smells fill the air while the baking sun beats down. And yet, in this sprawling floating slum, where basic human needs are barely met, the people refuse to succumb to despair despite the hardships they face.

I recently had the opportunity to help with a portion of the Waiting Travelling Exhibition, through PhotoVoice in Scotland. I participated in one of the excursions to Fairbridge Glasgow, which eventually became part of the exhibition. It was a true joy to meet and work with these young people, most of whom were homeless. Photography was a unique way to reach them. The experience allowed me to take something I’m comfortable with (photography) and combine it with something I’m not comfortable with (disadvantaged youth).

SocialDocumentary.net has posted an amazing photo essay entitled EPIDEMIC: TB in the Global Community by David Rochkind.

The WHO estimates that one third of the world’s population is infected with the bacteria that can cause TB and that nearly 1.8 million people die from the disease every year.

The photos are also being used as part of an educational project about TB at tbepidemic.org

The Art of Photography Show 2011 is a world-class international exhibition of photographic art which will occur August 13 – October 16 at the elegant two-level Lyceum Theatre Gallery, a perfect venue for exhibiting a large showcase of photography. We are very pleased that our esteemed judge for 2011 is Anne Lyden, the Associate Curator of Photography at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

National Photo & Essay Contest to Spotlight School Building Conditions

When Muhammad Yunus won the Noble Peace Prize in 2006 he said, “Poverty is the absence of all human rights. The frustrations, hostility and anger generated by abject poverty cannot sustain peace in any society. For building stable peace we must find ways to provide opportunities for people to live decent lives.”

Similar to Yunus’ strategy of countering the cycle of poverty with microloans for the poor, I believe that empowering our children has the power to fight poverty and provide opportunities for success.

It's that time of year again. As we look forward towards 2011 this new year's eve, we also look back over the last 12 months. A number of magazines and publications have compiled the best photos of 2010, and there are definitely some great photos to check out in these collections.

Lagos is reported to have the largest number of street children in Nigeria. The untidy appearance of these children shows a clear picture of the ordeals they pass through. Most of these kids leave home because of the maltreatment they get from their guardians/parents and in some cases, they are sent out to 'hustle' for money; most of them are the bread winners of the family and as such they engage into several activities like hawking different wares on the streets and begging for alms to sustain themselves and their families.

Mark Klett always manages to be dressed for the desert and for the classroom at the same time. He wears earthy Keens, long shorts, and loose fitting, quick-dry, button-downs. Any time you see him he could be stepping out of an REI-dressing room, a faculty meeting, or a wilderness adventure special. Then again, for Klett, the desert is the classroom. And never more so than since 2007, when he first began teaching a course he calls the Phoenix Transect Project.

“A community becomes confident when it is recognized by other communities.” –Nubian Elder