I was fortunate enough to attend this short talk last Saturday at the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila by the noted Bangladeshi photojournalist Shahidul Alam. Pitik 3: Photojournalism Forum Series with the topic Imaging the South in a Globablized World.

Despite the advances in photography not only in technology but also in how photojournalism has shaped modern history, come to think of it, it is still a first-world-centric view that dominates. Interpretations of the greater majority like Asia’s or Africa’s peoples, history and culture are still seen through these Western eyes.

Its about time that photographers of the majority world, the term Alam used to refer to the rest that are not first world countries should be heard. As he says, we have the ACCESS. We have the ACCEPTABILITY and TRUST to tell the stories of our own people and the Internet is making this a possibility.

Thanx to Kat Palasi for informing me of this forum. Listening attentively to the speaker is photojournalist VJ Villafranca.

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