Anger in the Nobel Peace Center
September 13, 2012 1 Comment
‘Infidel’ by Tim Hetherington, on display in the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo (Eric Matthies)
Documentary filmmaker Eric Matthies recently visited the ‘In Afghanistan’ exhibition which showcases work by veteran photographers Lynsey Addario and Tim Hetherington’s. Hetherington was killed covering the conflict in Libya last year.
I recently found myself at the doorstep of the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, staring at a banner over the entry that read ‘In Afghanistan: Tim Hetherington and Lynsey Addario‘. I took my time wandering through. The two great photojournalists’ work was exhibited throughout the main floor of the space. Hetherington’s riveting candid shots of US soldiers contrasted with Addario’s ‘Veiled Rebellion’ series, which portrays Afghani women’s struggle for a just life. Itwas a dramatic representation of photojournalism and unusual to see expressed on such a scale. Often, we get images in a newspaper, on a website, or in a book, whereas this was a well-curated exhibit with quality prints, videos andaccompanying text. It also served as a touching tribute to these two giants of war journalism, one tragically in memoriam.
Why women are underrepresented in the Afghan media
November 26, 2012 1 Comment
By Nazira Babori
The first female journalists trained in Afghanistan in more than a decade produce a documentary as part of a ground-breaking training program for Afghan women journalists supported by The Asia Foundation. The hour-long documentary captures the stories of women in Afghanistan, describing both their lives under the Taliban and their hopes for the future (PRNewsFoto/The Asia Foundation)
Progress in the media and freedom of expression are generally viewed as the biggest gains of the post-Taliban era in Afghanistan. Today there are more than 75 television stations, one hundred radio stations and hundreds of publications according to the Ministry of Information and Culture in Afghanistan – a far cry from just one radio station and two papers used solely for the purpose of spreading government propaganda under Taliban rule. Despite some pitfalls, the media community is vibrant and can bring those who commit ills in the government and society to account.
However, this achievement lacks the critical component of the equal representation of women in the field. Many Afghan women looked up to a new dawn when the Taliban regime collapsed. They stepped out of their homes in huge numbers to seek education, join the workforce, and raise their voices through the media. But it was later proved that media is not very rewarding to women.
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Filed under Comment, Guest Posts, INSI Blog Tagged with Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee, Afghanistan, Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, AJSC, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, IWPR, local journalists, Ministry of Information and Culture in Afghanistan, Nahid Nazari, Soraya Sobrang, Taliban, women journalists