17th May 2020
6:00pm IST
The webinar will be held on the online platform Zoom. To join the webinar please click on the link below:
To wrap up our first week of the Guftgu Talk Series 2020 we will be in conversation with Yuyu Myint Than from Thuma Collective, Burma and Sadia Mariam Rupa from Kaali Collective, Bangladesh. Both the panelists will be sharing their experience in collaborating on their book, Bridging the NAF.
Owing to the nature of publication, the book is not available for sale.
About Bridging the Naf:
In early 2019 twelve women photographers – six from Thuma Collective in Myanmar and six from Kaali Collective in Bangladesh – first came together in Yangon to begin a cultural and artistic exchange of ideas based around storytelling through photography. Originally designed as a geographic as well as cultural exchange, the sensitivity of political relations between the two countries was made clear when all of the Myanmar photographers were denied visas to travel to Bangladesh.
Despite this, the following six months saw the development of visual conversations between the respective groups of photographers. These conversations cover ideas of identity, respect, hope, conflict and acceptance and have manifested in the self published photobook ‘Bridging the Naf’.
It is only through dialogue and mutual understanding that it is possible to show that the similarities between us as humans far outweigh the differences between us as nation states. The words and images presented in the book were made possible due to the kind support of Norwegian People’s Aid, and the hard work and openness of the photographers.
About the panelists :
Sadia Mariam Rupa
Sadia Marium is an independent photographer based in Dhaka. Sadia’s practice pollinates with the process of creating photographs, video, and alternative printing methods. Ordinary characters, unremarkable memories, spaces, and objects are the protagonists of her works to trace the overlap of reality & fiction, private & public. Sadia studied Professional Photography at Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, Dhaka, Bangladesh and currently teaching at the same institute.
Kaali Collective
Kaali Collective’ is a group of six women photographers from Bangladesh who have individual practices but have come together to write and rewrite their own stories and experiences.
Yuyu Myint Than
Yu Yu Myint Than is a Myanmar photographer based in Yangon. She used to be a teacher trainer whilst pursuing her passion for photography. In 2014, she won a scholarship to the International Reporting Workshop, a three-month educational program that included training at the prestigious Pathshala South Asian Media Institute. Upon completion of the program Yu Yu became a staff photographer for The Myanmar Times and worked there for 11 months. After realizing herself that she couldn’t be photographically much more maturely while working for daily newspaper. She decided then to be a free-lance documentary photographer and joined Myanmar Deitta, a non-profit organization that works to develop resources for local photographers and filmmakers, where she works on developing educational programs of photography. She is interested to photograph hidden stories on gender issues and human rights and she has the strong obsession of capturing emotion, memory and dreams.
Thuma Collective
Thuma Collective is a group of female photographers from Myanmar who are dedicated to visual storytelling. “Thuma” means “She” in Myanmar language. The collective was initiated in 2017 by seven women photographers.
Offset Projects 