Joumana Khoury0:00
When I came in, we looked at the numbers of photographers represented in our contest and exhibitions. Over three-quarters were from Europe and North America, not from the majority world. That was the biggest change we wanted to make. We changed that in a short period. In just one year, almost 80% of photographers were local photographers from the communities they photograph, and more than 35% were women.
It was a difficult change because of the history, but it was the only possible way forward. We gave the jury more power, and we saw that in the regional juries, they were very aware of how subjects were represented. We updated our ethical code to include how photographers relate to subjects and how subjects are represented. The jury last year really looked at that, rejecting stereotypical representations of Africa.
Technology has made photography more accessible, but photographers from the global South still face censorship, danger, and economic suffocation. They often can't afford good cameras. Professional photographers have the eye, craft, and ethics. Talent exists just as much in the global South. Photography is a universal language that allows people to tell their own stories to a global audience, and it also gives the public access to stories they wouldn't otherwise know. One visitor in Myanmar said the exhibition opened the world to her.
The Western gaze is dominant, but it's also becoming narrower. However, more organizations are working with photographers from the global South to tell their own stories, especially now in the age of Black Lives Matter and being woke. There's a hierarchy of disasters. War in Ukraine gets more platform than what's happening in Lebanon, but a dancer from Congo said maybe it's time for the West to ask the South for advice, since we've been living with these issues all our lives.
A Bangladeshi photographer won last year with a photo about water shortage. After it was seen worldwide, an NGO sent water solutions to the village. That's the impact we can have – bringing stories to decision-makers and the public. I believe in the power of storytelling to change perspectives. As Edouard Glissant said, 'Relationship is to change by exchanging without losing oneself.' Photography can do that.
We try to be neutral, but there's no such thing. We give a platform to photographers on the ground. We cover 'old news' – the contest covers the previous year, so we go in depth. I hope the events in Gaza will be covered in this year's entries. The decision to remove thematic categories and have technical ones gave the jury more power to decide themes from the submitted images.
Shahidul was the first person of color to chair the jury, and it's been slowly getting more diverse. When I started, I wasn't a photographer or media expert, but that gave me freedom to think differently. I said, 'Let go, what's the worst that can happen?' The change was a no-brainer. I was disappointed there was almost no criticism, but it was so evident that this was the only way forward.
I'm passionate about storytelling and the impact it can have. World Press has a unique voice. I worked at the Prince Claus Fund before, which supported cultural projects. Storytelling is what connects everything. In the future, I hope the 'ifs' get shorter. We introduced an open format category that requires still photography at its core but allows other media. It added a new dimension to storytelling. I started as a lawyer, was miserable, took a personality test that said I'm good at managing, strategic thinking, and love impact and arts – that led me to arts management. So you all have to do personality tests, even if they seem fake.
