Resilience a World Press Photo -linked exhibition at Market Theatre highlights challenges women and children face
By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor
If today you visited the Market Theatre precinct you will be taken on a photographic journey that will make you marvel at the artist but also be touched by these images that tell the stories that touched people globally in the last year. These are photographs that tell the story of social justice, especially when it comes to issues of Gender Based Violence, unfortunately a disturbing scourge in South African society right now.
But these images are not about what happened here but many will find resonance with what is also going on in this country. I had an opportunity to attend the launch of this exhibition at The Market Theatre on Wednesday.
Running from March 8 to March 29, 2023 the exhibition is hosted by The Market Photo Workshop, with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa.
Resilience is a special exhibition showcasing a selection of stories, awarded in the World Press Photo contests from 2000 to 2021, that highlight the resilience and challenges of women, girls and communities around the world. Gender equality and justice are fundamental human rights critical in supporting cohesive societies. Yet women around the world face deeply entrenched inequality and remain underrepresented in political and economic roles. Worldwide in 2021, women represented just 26.1% of some 35,500 parliament seats, only 22.6% of over 3,400 ministers, and 27% ofall managerial positions. Violence against women prevails as a serious global health and protection issue. An estimated one in three women will experience physical or sexual abuse in her lifetime.
Resilience opened on International Women’s Day, which also falls during Human Rights Month in South Africa. It conveys the commitment of the Netherlands to women’s rights, gender equity and justice. It also gives South Africans pause to think where we are on these issues as a country and how far we still have to go. Multiple voices, documented by 17 photographers of 13 different nationalities, offer insights into issues including sexism, gender-based violence, reproductive rights, and access to equal opportunities. The selection of stories explores how women and gender issues have evolved in the 21st century and how photojournalism has developed in the ways of portraying them.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a talk programme on 11 March at 11h00 am that will speak to where we are in South Africa when it comes to human rights and gender equity and representation.
This exhibition is the precursor to a long-term relationship that will be established between the Market Theatre Foundation and the World Press Photo Foundation. The Market Photo Workshop will be the Africa regional partner for the World Press Photo Foundation. In line with a new strategy that focuses on increased visibility and connection in regions around the world, this partnership will allow World Press Photo Foundation to better connect to local networks and provide more regional visibility for local photojournalists and documentary photographers. The Market Photo Workshop will provide local knowledge and contextualization of the World Press Photo Contest to local photography communities.
World Press Photo and the Market Photo Workshop will start to work jointly on the contest outreach and judging activities in the region, and later on regional educational programs and funding opportunities. The Market Photo Workshop will also support World Press Photo with developing more regional exhibitions on the continent, and assist with communication campaigns in the region.