leaving there...

view from saikats and sumons room, hotel, near fulbaria, 26th feb. 2012

women,  fulbaria, 26th feb. 2012

i can remember. it was a conversation we had in my last school. in my editing class. it started of with a picture a classmate of mine took. a woman in a burka. the teacher said: she looks like being in a prison. everybody was silence. a friend of mine and me looked at each other, looked at our yemeni girl.

our yemeni girl. the girl who was a photojournalist in yemen, who came over with the help of kickstarted, with the help of some people who had the idea for it. now she was the first female photojournalist from yemen. one if the 150 most important photographers, selected by the times. and except from the aspect of considering modernity in yemen ( that such a photojournalist exist there might imply already established systems, which says something about this country which is in most places outside from it overall negative described in terms of women rights) i hugely admire her, above all for being stil herself within all the pressure and trouble she got from teachers and attachments.

we looked at her. waited for her to get her point across. she said soemthig, we said something. about respect, cultural context, history. she did not get it. the teacher. and the rest of the students.

the women are passing by. slowely, head proudly held up. the clothes wrapped up, almost seems like another ponytail, the clothe falls softly on the shoulders. the material well chosen. flies almost over the ground, so thin and flexible, after them when they are passing us. next to the bus.

sexiness is a question of definition. as usual.

recently i started to wear t shirts in dhaka. like over the ankle cut off shirts. nothing unusual for me back in germany or uk or whereever. here i feel almost nacked.

waiting, fulbaria, 25th feb. 2012

waited, near fulbaria, 26th feb. 2012

bus, near fulbaria, 26th feb. 2012

the ngo shot i think was successful. the ngo people liked us, we liked them, the picture were all in the camera including mine.

at the end we were sitting in front of a tea shop. had some sweet chai. talked. they called it off work talk. i think. we were laughing. they were much more relaxed. we as well. probably. they talked about the initial starting point.  cause they were not the beginning. it was a company, a ngo who had the idea. they are just the local partner. to execute it.

and the ngo initiated the pictures. did they think about it that maybe the pictures could be not so much like the reality? have they been in the place?

ngo's principle, i believe wanna do something good, so, i guess, they wanna do something good. so i gonna be quiet. maybe.

air, near fulbaria, 26th feb. 2012

i have a theory: ngos are like the colonisor 200 years ago. They come in, think they know everything better, telling them what to do, destroy their natural environment and not even leave them their own will and dignity. Those days they were praised as nowadays.  They just fight with different weapons.
 
the problem in bangladesh is. foreign compagnies and ngos coming in and working there plus telling them what to do ( and it does not matter how amazing and useful their ideas) they take away the people's ability and trust they can do it by themselves. Believe and use there own resources. Result is a Lost in self respect, self confidence and identity.
 
and the real problem is: ngos is like everything else. if it becomes bigger the financial and organisational aspect is raising, the ideological part is sinking. not that i say it is not important. it is cause what so u do without money. but still. just to consider. one aspect.

other aspect: the people in the company are ideologic, they studied their subject sometimes for a couple of years, write their thesis in that, are good, made up their mind and wanna help, because of their guiltiness, because of their knowledge. and they know so much at the end taht even so knowing they should step back they cannot, because suddenly the idea becomes more important. another theory. but just a theory.

legs, near fulbaria, 27th feb. 2012