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This retrospective work of US-born photographer, Marilyn Stafford, encompasses a wide selection of photographs from her recently excavated archive spanning four decades of the twentieth century between 1948-1980 across some remarkable periods of international modern history. It is published by Bluecoat Press.

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Published by nina.emett, 2022-09-01 09:01:31

Marilyn Stafford - A Life in Photography

This retrospective work of US-born photographer, Marilyn Stafford, encompasses a wide selection of photographs from her recently excavated archive spanning four decades of the twentieth century between 1948-1980 across some remarkable periods of international modern history. It is published by Bluecoat Press.

Mulk Raj Anand with a village victim of the Bangladesh Liberation War, Gopalganj District, 1972.
201

‘ Every war has its own variations of casualties, and every war leaves its own Syed Shamsul Haq (1935-2016). Award-winning
particular scars. Some of the deepest scars of the recent war in Bangladesh Bangladeshi writer and poet. London, c1975.
can be found in its children.
These paintings are the indelible impressions of a war of brutality and ‘ After Liberation, Professor Salma Chowdhury started to explore the
injustice, of the death of humanity, as seen and experienced by some of devastation of women folk that occurred during the nine months of the
the children of Bangladesh, aged 4 to 12 years. Their work speaks of the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Thousands were tortured, raped, and
genocide and resistance that took place during the Bangladesh Liberation widowed by the Pakistani military junta and their local allies. Salma and
War, between 25th March and 16th December 1971. other women leaders approached ‘Bangabandhu’ (Bangladesh’s founding
After the war, paper and colours were scarce in Bangladesh. The paintings father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) and, as a result, he founded the Nari
have been done on whatever paper was available, with cheap coloured Punorbason Kendra (Women’s Rehabilitation and Welfare Centre) at
pencils and even using inks from local fruit juice. The children had no formal Eskaton Garden in Dhaka. He embraced them with unbounded empathy
art training, and the paintings were done from memory. ’and declared them as ‘Heroines of the War’. Marilyn visited the Centre in
The original exhibition of these paintings in Bangladesh was created by the 1973 and photographed these war heroines.
children’s organisation Kachi Kachar Mela. It was supported by The Daily Momtaz Faruki Chowdhury
Ittefaq, a newspaper shelled on the night of 25th March 1971 by Pakistani Daughter of Professor Salma Chowdhury.
troops in Dacca. Since the Liberation, The Daily Ittefaq has continued to
support the Kachi Kachar Mela, and these paintings were exhibited at the Girl at shelter for rape
opening of their new premises, donated by the Government of Bangladesh, survivors of the
on 25th March 1972. Bangladesh Liberation War,
Since there is not a single family in Bangladesh which has not experienced Dhaka, 1972.
the brutality of these past months, it is understandable that the 30,000
children belonging to the Kachi Kachar Mela could not have escaped the
horror of genocide either. I am told that ten percent of its membership
is either dead or untraceable. It is known that occupation forces asked
children to say the slogan Jai Bangla (Victory to Bengal) and as they
innocently did so, they were executed for high treason.
Surviving children today remember the dark days. We are now in the month
of storm in Bangladesh. The heat is oppressive, and the air is still. Yesterday
evening, clouds gathered in the sky and there was a sudden clap of thunder.
My two-year-old son ran up to me in mortal fear and whispered, ‘Papa,
bomb, Pakistan.’ The days of horror have forever struck the minds of
Bangladesh’s children.
The exhibition was later brought to the Commonwealth Institute in London
by the leading Bangladeshi painter Zainul Abedin. He said, ‘We, the adult
painters, have failed so far to treat the genocide and resistance on our
’canvases. These children have opened a new and fresh vision for us.’
Syed Shamsul Haq (1935-2016)
Written 1972. Bengali poet, author, playwright.
Youngest recipient of the Bangla Academy Literary Award
in 1966 and later in 2000 he received the Independence Day Award
by the Government of Bangladesh for his contribution to
Bangla literature.

202

Paintings created by child victims of the Bangladesh Liberation War, Dhaka, 1972.
Marilyn was able to help organise an exhibition for these paintings at the Commonwealth Institute in London, in June 1973.

203

Waterways and traditional boats, Bangladesh, 1972.
204

205

Chapter Eight

SHORT
STORIES
FROM INDIA

Children seen from the train, outside Delhi, 1972.
206

Girls studying the Koran, Uttar Pradesh, India, 1972. In front of the 16th century Jama Masjid Mosque, Fatehpur Sikhri, Unesco World Heritage Site.
207

MULK RAJ ANAND his many visits in whatever city we happened to be in at the same
time, and often took photographs. He encouraged me to go to India
I first met Mulk Raj Anand when he sat down beside me on the ferry in 1971 and I made several trips after that to work on various projects
crossing from France to England in 1949. I had a list of books that I there with him. His generosity opened many doors for me, including
was asked to buy in London for a New York friend because they were introducing me to Henri Cartier-Bresson, Indira Gandhi and many
published by Penguin and not available in the US at that time. Indian artists including Vivan Sundaram and Prafulla Mohanti, living
I showed it to Mulk, and he said, ‘They are all my books!’This, of in London at the time. I am eternally grateful for our long lasting
course, made us fast friends and this friendship lasted until his death friendship sparked by that chance meeting during the Channel
55 years later. During this time, he would come to the West each year crossing all those years ago.
for research, to lecture and to meet old friends or make new ones -
important literary or political personalities. I accompanied him on

Marilyn with Indian writer Mulk Raj Anand, London, c1970. Indian writer Mulk Raj Anand (left) and P.N. Haksar,
208 Diplomat and Secretary to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,
London, c1970.

Mulk Raj Anand (1905-2004), Bombay c1980. Indian writer in English and champion of human rights, notable
for his depiction of the lives of the poorer castes in traditional Indian society. His first novel, Untouchable, was

published in 1935. Winner of the International Peace Prize, 1953.

209

‘ Mulk Raj Anand was a man of great simplicity. Invariably dressed
in casual clothes, dashingly set off with a cravat or kerchief, he
lived either on the ground floor of a decaying mansion in central
Mumbai or at his modest retreat in the hills behind Pune. Every day,
he would write lengthy letters, in an increasingly indecipherable
scrawl, to correspondents all round the world. He emanated
boundless intellectual energy as well as a slightly mischievous
charm, his words tumbling out both in conversation and on the
page, as though in a race against time.
When Marilyn knew him best in the 1950s and 1960s, he had
been for three decades perhaps the most famous writer in his
country, but his first novel Untouchable was published in 1935
only because of E. M. Forster’s advocacy. It redirected Indian
literature, showing that the daily routine of a street sweeper could
say more about the sub-continent than tales of maharajahs on
elephants or mystical gurus in trances. Mulk’s command of English
was absolute - after all, he had a doctorate in philosophy from the
University of London - but he conveyed the lives of uneducated
people through a rich command of peasant speak transcribed
from Punjabi and Urdu.
In later years, he felt neglected by literary critics and abandoned
by mainstream publishers. He need not have worried, for his
many novels, short stories and essays are still to be found in every
pavement bookstore in India. Untouchable is always in print. His
great fiction about the Indian sepoys in the trenches of the First
World War, Across the Black Waters, stands as a monument to their
largely ignored bravery.
In his lifetime Indira Gandhi referred to him as ‘Uncle Mulk’.
Statesmen from many political backgrounds and intellectuals of
all persuasions hailed his humanity. As post-colonial research took
off, he was recognised as a founding figure. Marilyn’s images of
him uniquely capture his vigour and his gift with people, moments
’of animation or concentration in a life that never stood still.
Alastair Niven
LVO, OBE. Author of The Yoke of Pity, a full-length study of
Mulk Raj Anand’s fiction, as well as other studies of modern
novelists. He is a former President of English PEN and a
recipient of the Benson Medal, the Royal Society of
Literature’s highest honour.

Mulk Raj Anand, during a visit to Beirut, 1960.

210

Mulk Raj Anand, writing in his garden. Khandala, near Pune, c1972. 211

Mulk Raj Anand excerpts

‘Keep to the side of the road, ohe low-caste vermin!’ he suddenly heard For, although they had been in the trenches only a few days, one hour
someone shouting at him. ‘Why don’t you call, you swine, and announce had begun to seem to them like the other and each day like the last and
your approach! Do you know you have touched me and defiled me, cock- the dreary sameness of life in this unknown had begun to assert itself.
eyed son of a bow-legged scorpion! Now I will have to go and take a bath A passionate people, prone to sudden exaltations and depressions,
to purify myself. And it was a new dhoti and shirt I put on this morning!’ more faithful than any other if they believed, they were neutral in this
Bakha stood amazed, embarrassed. He was deaf and dumb. His senses war, because this was not a war for any of the religions of their inheritance,
were paralysed. Only fear gripped his soul, fear and humility and servility. nor for any ideal which could fire their blood and make their hair stand
From Untouchable on end.’
1970 edition, London: The Bodley Head, pages 54-55. From Across the Black Waters
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1978 edition, New Delhi:Vision Books, pages 132-133.
‘The response of the sepoys seemed to show as if they had resigned -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
themselves to their kismet. Covered by their army blankets, like hooded, ‘If it is asked, as it is often asked, how India could survive, in spite of the
bell-topped tents, snuggling in the folds of blankets, wrapped in their many changes at the main centres, then the answer is to be found in
great coats, strapped and bandaged with an assortment of woollen the self-governing, self-sufficient village, from which people moved
rags on their legs, their backs, and their faces, they huddled together away in troubled times, only to come back and reclaim their heritage,
as they crouched over the warmth of a cigarette tip or the end of a again and again.’
candle, or stood by their rifles, elephantine mounds of flesh, placid and From Is There a Contemporary Indian Civilisation?
immobile and dumb, who would have to be drugged with liquor into Bombay: Asia Publishing House, 1963, page 17.
warmth and madness before they could charge the enemy.

212 Mulk Raj Anand, at work, Khandala, near Pune, c1972.

Mulk Raj Anand with
his wife, Shirin

Vajifdar, Parsi Classical
Indian dancer and

choreographer. Khandala,
near Pune, c1972.

Mulk Raj Anand, his
wife Shirin Vajifdar and

Dolly Zahair, designer
and close friend and
assistant, Khandala,
near Pune, c1972.
213

GHOTUL MURIA -
A TRIBAL PEOPLE

Forest dwellers, the Ghotul Muria are known for their musical talent
and their Ghotul; a communal village dormitory hut where, in the past,
children from a young age spent the nights together until puberty and
marriage. The tribe welcomed me warmly, albeit with their typical
shyness, and they introduced me to their rituals and environment.
Their traditional way of life has over the years been transformed and
destroyed by conflicts over forest land ownership, and encroaching
modern ways of life.

Ghotul Muria, Bastar, Central India, 1980.
‘I was invited to a performance of song and dance and was photographed with
two of the drummers by my interpreter.’

Bastar, Central India, 1980.
‘Curious children of the Ghotul Muria tribe peeping at the strange lady who came to visit.’
214

Ghotul Muria tribal boy, Bastar, Central India, 1980.
215

Bastar, Central India, 1980. Bastar, Central India, 1980.
‘This beautiful Ghotul Muria woman was already married so she did not live Older girl living in the Ghotul. At puberty she will return to her parents and a
in the Ghotul with the children. She lived in a small mud floor dwelling. She pre-arranged marriage, a Hindu overlay of tribal custom.
helped show me around the village.’

216

Bastar, Central India, 1980.
The forest dwelling of the Ghotul Muria Tribe.

217

Ghotul Muria, Bastar, Central India, 1980.
‘Well known for their musical talents, the Murias earned money singing and dancing at marriages and other local town events.The children performed for me, playing drums,
stilt dancing and singing while the small children watched.’

218

‘These shy giggling girls were amused by me and admired my bracelets while I admired theirs. On the ground in front of the Ghotul building, girls dress each other’s hair. An exchange
With money earned by their town performances they purchased tiny sea shells, a precious of combs between a boy and a girl is an expression of love.
rarity in a forest society, and an investment.’

219

SEWA

In 1972 I photographed Ela Bhatt and the
organisation she founded in the same year
SEWA - Self-Employed Women’s Association.
Growing up in Gujarat, India, Bhatt was
disturbed by the suffering she saw around
her on the streets. Once she witnessed a bare-
footed cart puller running down a hill when
the cart toppled her over and damaged her
knees. It turned out she could not afford to put
brakes on the cart and Bhatt quickly realised
that people like her were caught in th e poverty
trap. She observed that it was women working
in the informal sector who suffered the effects
of poverty the most profoundly, which led her
to set up SEWA.
SEWA is a trade union and network of
cooperatives across more than one hundred
trades. It has improved the security and earning
potential of the most vulnerable women
workers in the informal sector. There are
approximately two million SEWA members in
more than a dozen states across India and over
one hundred Worker Cooperatives owned and
managed by women themselves.

Manual worker, Gujurat, 1972.
220

Cart-pullers, Ahmedabad, Gujurat, 1972.
221

STUDIO OF RAJA DEEN DAYAL

Studio of Raja Deen Dayal. Rinsing photo prints. c1972.
222

Studio of Raja Deen Dayal, Indore, India, c1972. Deen Dayal (1844-1905) was India’s first great pioneering photographer.
He left an extensive photographic record of British Colonial India.

223

Our grateful thanks to all the backers who supported MARILYN STAFFORD: A LIFE IN
PHOTOGRAPHY on Kickstarter. Without you, this book would not have been published.

Hala Al Abdulmughni Vivien Eliades Steve Lomax Stephen Rayment
Bruce Aisher Eleanor Emptage Ashley Luke & Scott Meek Ian Reeves & Tony Read
Simon Aldridge Liz Evans Otto Lussenburg Neil Reeder
S.E. Arliss The Eyers family David Lynch Clive Rixson
Matthew Ashton Diane Fisher Clare Maddalena Mel Rolleri
Murray Ballard Melanie Friend Michael March Ford Roosevelt
Alex Barber Victoria Gaiger Melvyn Marriott Ken Royall
Keith Barton Gordon L Gerson & family Rev. Matthias A88 PhD. Angie Rozelaar
Sarah & Simon Bedwell Michael Lee Gerson Richard Mayston Francis (Frank) Rozelaar
Kate Bellis Miles Gerson Richard Mayston Pascale Sameli
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Tomas Didžiokas Julie Krausz-Rogerson Mark & Samantha Print Nicky White
Martin & Dawn Dobson Simon Larson Rod Purcell Graham Wills
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Roland Drummond Suzanne Lennon Enrico Rampazzo Dr Julia Winckler
Joanna Duchesne Lalit Lertmaithai Rosalie Ranieri Felix Wittern
Jane Dyball Kerrie Liao Douglas Rattray David Yeoman
Tracy Edwards Johneth Lim Alan Raw

224

Street photographer, Nasik, Maharashtra, India, c1972.
225

THANK YOU Thank you to Nicola Jeffs for her excellence in promoting my work and this
book via the Media.
There are not enough pages in this book to express my gratitude to all those Most of all my thanks to Nina Emett for so beautifully compiling and editing
who have made it a reality. this book. Photographer, curator and founding director of FotoDocument, her
Thank you to Colin Wilkinson and Bluecoat Press for believing in this project from exceptional work and ethos struck an immediate chord with me as does her
the start and to all the wonderful patient‘’Kickstarters’’- new friends and old - perception and wise guidance. I have no words to express the many thanks in my
who started the ball rolling. To my dear nephew, Josh Silverman, for pushing us heart to her for her friendship and all she has done for me, beyond the call of duty,
over the first goal post. Thank you also Daniel Bickerton for providing the behind the scenes trawling through literally thousands of negatives and contact
beautiful book design. sheets, masterfully wordsmithing, her creative input, coordination and bringing it
Sincerest thanks to Tom Stoddart for his generous foreword. all together.
Warmest thanks to Jennifer Higgie for her insightful essay. A big hug with thanks to Nina’s daughter, Lana Emett, for plunging into the archives
Sincere thanks also to Dr Andy Conio, Professor Francis Hodgson, Sir Alastair Niven to work alongside her and thank you also to Nina’s sister, visual artist Anita Chohda,
OBE and Dr Julia Winckler for their astute academic perceptions. for her assistance with layout.
Thank you to Neo Ntsoma, in South Africa, herself a fine photographer, for her
words about the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award for women photographers, I would also like to extend my thanks to all the many wonderful people who
for which she is a judge. To all at Nikon UK, for supporting it currently and to all at have helped me along the way.
Olympus UK for supporting it in its early years. In memorium to my mother and father and my thanks to them for the Box Brownie
Special thanks to photographer and former business partner Michel Arnaud; which began it all. For their life-long love and support despite my life not having
Professor Salma Chowdhury and her daughter Momtaz Faruki Chowdhury; taken their desired direction - marriage, country club, lots of grandchildren - or for
Saqi Publisher André Gaspard; the late Bengali poet, writer and friend Syed not having become the new Shirley Temple. Thanks to my dear departed sister
Shamsul Haq; Joanna Lumley, actress, former model, presenter and humanitarian; Alyce for her love and wisdom. To her dear children, Josh, Matt and Denise, who
avid photographer friend Ford Roosevelt; barrister and dear friend Sahib cared for her. Thank you to cousin Stanley Silverman who helped me photograph
Sehrawat (Pappu); and former swinging sixties model Twiggy for their reflections the Golden Gate Bridge, and to the many Gerson cousins everywhere!
and memories. My thanks also go to:
My extra special thanks and gratitude to my dearest beautiful daughter, Lina The Children’s Theatre of the Cleveland Play House in Ohio, USA, where from the
Clerke, for bearing with me now and in childhood, at times stoically bundled into tender age of ten, alongside future stars such as Paul Newman, I studied Theatre
the backseat of a car while Mama went on assignment and had nobody to care for Technique, and learning to see by practising the Stanislavski method
her at home. For her ongoing patience, wisdom, support and love. For additional of observation.
research, creative input, trawling through boxes of negatives, transparencies and Those New York documentary filmmaker friends, one of whom put the first 35mm
contact sheets, endless proof reading and sleepless nights!! single reflex camera into my hands while driving to Princeton, New Jersey. Then
Thanks to her dear husband, Titus Foster for his editing skills, who continues to casually informing me that I was about to photograph Albert Einstein, which
relieve some of life’s aches and pains with his acupuncture needles. became my first portrait.
My deepest and heartfelt thanks to the members of Brighton’s Marilyn Stafford Indian writer, Mulk Raj Anand, for a lifetime of love and friendship, and for opening
Collective both past and present – Lucy Bell, Stephen Bull, Professor Francis many doors and sharing his many inspirational friends worldwide.
Hodgson, Nicola Jeffs, Simon Roberts, Jim Stephenson, Helen Trompeteler, Kasha Henri Cartier-Bresson, one of Mulk’s friends, who also became a friend to me and
Vanda, Dr Julia Winckler, and to Nina Emett who has convened and chaired it to generously mentored me in my early Paris days, leading to my first front page.
promote my work, which until then had been living in shoe boxes under the bed Thank you to the Observer, London, for that front page.
following my retirement in the 1980s. Bob Capa for his big brotherly friendship, help and encouragement.
Thank you to John Williams, Seán Padraic Birnie and Simon Sandys for scanning my Michael Peto, whose personal friendship and professional guidance
negatives and cuttings with such technical expertise. are deeply treasured.
Thank you to Caroline Cortizo and Samantha Humble-Smith at Shifting Pixels for
their painstaking and skilful work in postproduction.
Thank you to Kerry Negahban and Altu Collingwood for their counsel.

226

Alan Sparrow and the UK Picture Editor’s Guild for honouring me in 2020 with the Lucy herself for my first and subsequent photography exhibitions in her gallery.
Chairman’s Award for Lifetime Achievement for my contribution to Photography. Master Printer, Robin Bell, for creating exquisite silver gelatin prints of my work.
Nigel Atherton and his team at Amateur Photographer for presenting me with an Klair Bird, Hazel Watts, Paul Lowe, Andy Ford and Kayung Lai at Spectrum
Exceptional Achievement in Photography Award in 2019. Photographic for creating beautiful digital prints of my work and for all their
Dan Evans at Tilt for his prize-winning film I shot Einstein. support over the years.
Kim Willsher for her wonderful newspaper articles, one of which connected me Ian Bates and Paul Smith at Frame of Mind CIC for their superb framing.
to Ford Roosevelt, whose father, Elliott Roosevelt, and grandmother, Eleanor Geoff Brokate for introducing me to Alan Raw, curator of the Hull International
Roosevelt, I had met long ago in Paris. Photography Festival and for taking a favourite portrait of myself.
Lynn Hilton for her lovely photographs of me and to both Lynn and her partner Alan Raw for exhibiting my fashion work in a shopping centre at the Hull
Sharon Dean for their records of my life stories and for helping with social media. International Photography Festival.
Suzanne Lennon for her additional recordings of me, and for connecting me to Nik Suzy Collins for beautifully designing and updating my website.
Sindle and Stephen Sackur, who conducted a BBC Hard Talk interview with me. Matthew Broadberry, computer doctor, who patiently puts up with my
Greg Whitmore, former picture editor of the Observer for his support in technical illiteracies.
publishing my work. The incredible women documentary photographers from around the world who
Helen Trompeteler for making a detailed record of my archive in the early days of applied for, were shortlisted for, or who were awarded as runner-up or winner of
the Marilyn Stafford Collective. the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award, facilitated by FotoDocument, since its
Pete Boyd, with a bit of help from Barry Pitman, for keeping me up to inception in 2017. Special thanks and high praise go to Rebecca Conway (UK), Özge
date on Wikipedia. Sebzeci (Turkey), Mary Turner (UK), Ana Filipova (Russia), Nicky Quamina-Woo (US),
Ian Hockaday for helping me with his technical expertise over the years, most Solmaz Daryani (Iran), Isadora Romero (Ecuador), Stephanie Silber (Germany) and
particularly for creating a dynamic online exhibition at the Sorbonne Nouvelle to all the wonderful women documentary photographers who will be connected
in Paris, when Covid-19 prevented a real event. The same Cité Lesage-Bullourde to the FotoAward long into the future.
exhibition, which was beautifully curated by Dr Julia Winckler. The judges - past and present - of the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award
Antony Penrose, Elaine Wardekker and team for all their support and for mounting Andrea Bruce, Donna De Cesare, Rebecca Conway, Nina Emett, Anna Fox,
a magnificent first retrospective exhibition of Marilyn Stafford - A Life in Photography Melanie Friend, Neo Ntsoma, Helen Trompeteler and my daughter, Lina Clerke,
at Farleys House and Gallery on the lovely grounds of the home of one of my honorary judge.
photography heroines, Lee Miller. Rosalind Turner and Shoreham Wordfest for regularly receiving me for talks
Jody East, Hedley Swain and team at Brighton’s Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust and exhibitions.
for expanding the retrospective exhibition Marilyn Stafford - A Life in Photography Arts Council England for their generous support on more than one occasion.
to include ephemera and recordings, fulfilling a dream for me for my work to be Penny Tutt who keeps my house in order and to my cat, Minouche, who keeps
exhibited in a major museum. me firmly in my place.
My penfriend David Tunnicliffe, who introduced my work to Dimbola Museum At age 90 plus my sincerest thanks to the British National Health Service for keeping
& Galleries on the Isle of Wight, former home of ground-breaking Victorian me going, and to nutritionist Jane Waters and her team, at The Alternative Centre,
photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron. London.
Dr Brian Hinton MBE, chairman of the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust, for inviting me Finally, thank you to all the real and metaphorical angels hovering over me, past
to exhibit my fashion work at Dimbola Museum & Galleries and then inviting me and present.
back to host the retrospective Marilyn Stafford - A Life in Photography. Many thankful flowers from the depths of the garden of my heart for all of you who
The Nehru Centre, London, for exhibiting India Remembered in 2013, and to have shared my story in pictures - new friends and old - I hope you enjoyed it.
Arundel Museum for the mini retrospective exhibition which followed, and to
Melissa Hauffe who mounted it. Marilyn
Jim Stephenson for his friendship and for kindly introducing me to Lucy Bell and to

227

MARILYN STAFFORD FOTOREPORTAGE AWARD

The Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award, facilitated by FotoDocument, is an international prize that is granted annually to a professional woman
documentary photographer. It goes towards the completion of a compelling and cohesive documentary photo-essay that addresses an important
social, environmental, economic, or cultural issue - whether local or global - which in part showcases positive solutions. It is reserved for documentary
photographers working on projects, which may be unreported or under-reported, and which are intended to inspire, to create impact, and to make the
world a better place. It has been supported by Olympus UK and Nikon UK. https://fotodocument.org/fotoaward @fotodocument

A child plays on the ruins of
a sea wall after the ocean
surge, Saint Louis, Senegal.
© Nicky Quamina-Woo

As the water comes
With its abundant natural resources, Africa is often overlooked when it comes to environmental issues despite suffering the heightened effects of
desertification, soil erosion, and insect infestations. As the water comes focuses on northern Senegal, where hundreds of families have been evacuated to
tent cities as their houses have been destroyed by rising sea levels caused by climate change. A robust response, which includes public participation and an
integration of local knowledge, is needed when it comes to key economic activities like fishing and agriculture. At Langue de Barbarie, they are experimenting
with fencing made from local typha, a fast-growing reed, to capture the wind-blown sand to rebuild the dunes. Local NGOs are teaching people from the area
how to maintain the reeds to help reforest these eroded areas that have been heavily impacted by the ocean.
Nicky Quamina-Woo
Winner of the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award 2020

‘‘Pioneering photographer Marilyn Stafford is not only a living legend but one of the great women photojournalists whose work has inspired generations of women
visual storytellers worldwide. In photography as in life, gender and race does matter. Sometimes women do not have the necessary support structures to complete
meaningful projects and perform at their fullest extent due to financial limitations and the added burden of having to care for their children. This is something that has
been of great concern to me for many years. Having experienced first-hand the pressures faced by professional female photographers, I guess that is why I did not think
twice before accepting the invitation to be part of the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award judging panel. Not only because I greatly respect Marilyn’s legacy, but
also because I support the goal and the idea this photography contest is based on. Marilyn is a real Living Legend whose status is not only conferred to her by virtue of
’her age or industry experience. It is earned through her commitment for shaping the careers of female photographers like myself and many others around the globe. In
my opinion, it is what makes her a true icon.’
Neo Ntsoma
Photojournalist
Founder of Neo Ntsoma Productions, a visual communications and production company owned and managed by black women

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