INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The camera of a budget smartphone has become a way for many of the Rohingya stuck in Bangladesh’s refugee camps to tell their own stories,
capturing photos of their lives in the camps, which became the world’s largest when 700,000 people fled the Myanmar military five years
ago, joining 300,000 who had already sought refuge across the border.These photographers, who are all under 30, are building a record of the
culture and traditions they fear could be lost so far from home, and have sharpened their skills during floods and fires and other all too
frequent moments of crisis.Their photographs have featured in international media and photography competitions
Sahat Zia Hero, one of an increasing numbers of Rohingya photographers, last year published a book of his own work called Rohingyatography
and has followed it up by helping set up a magazine that publishes the photos of others he meets in the camps.Sahat Zia HeroZaudha, 40,
stares out over the smouldering remains of her home after the largest of the camp fires, in March 2021, when 50,000 lost their homes
The smoke and heat was still too intense for her to go down to the exact spot she lived in.Until 2012, I studied at Sittwe University in
I had to apply for papers and permits from the government to show at checkpoints where they only searched Muslims
Even at the university, I was discriminated against by students and even teachers
They hated us Rohingya.When the riots happened, the violence meant no more education for Rohingya
As I returned to my village, I was detained for three days and beaten by police
I didn’t leave after that
I supported my father by fishing, but I also bought a smartphone and computer and this was when I started my photography
They were illegal for us to own, but I used them in the jungle, learning about them from YouTube videos I streamed using Bangladeshi
internet service on the border.Clockwise from top left: refugees try to extinguish a fire in Kutupalong using pieces of wood and bamboo,
July 2021; flooding in the camps only a few days after the same fire; Rohingya cross a river inside the campWe are refugees because of a
genocide by the military, and now a million Rohingya people live in refugee camps
Our objective is to highlight our crisis, to show the international community that genocide and persecution is still going on even without
publicity.Living in the camps is difficult, especially without education and freedom of movement
Nowhere is safe for the Rohingya right now.The Covid-19 lockdown meant international journalists stopped coming to the camps, but this
encouraged Rohingya photographers to tell their own stories
Taking and sharing photos feels like a duty to my people, a way to use my passion for their betterment
It’s the best language – it speaks more than words and shows the reality
I want the world to see the Rohingya people as human beings, just like everyone else, with our hopes and dreams, sadness, happiness and
grief.Find Zia on Instagram@ziaheroIshrat Fori ImranAs she fled alongside hundreds of thousands of others in 2017, Ishrat Fori Imran used
her phone to capture their escape, carrying whatever they could through the jungle I’d never touched a smartphone until I passed my school
My brother gave me a smartphone to call my sister in Malaysia, but I thought why not start capturing some memories and moments and the
beauty of my surroundings
I could keep them inside my phone as history for future generations
Instead, only a few months later we had to leave our home because of the military’s attacks and I took more photos as we escaped through
the jungle.Now I take photographs because it gives me joy – it can swing my mood from sadness to happiness
If I ever feel depressed or anxious, I pick up my camera, because in that moment of taking the photo, I am focused totally on that subject
I can’t really express the delight I feel when sharing those photos with others, especially when they appreciate them.I take photos of
whatever takes my interest – it doesn’t matter if it’s animals, human, nature, foods or something else; I just take the photo
Whatever my eye sees, so does my camera.Find Ishrat on Twitter: @IshratForiImranRo Yassin AbdumonafRohingya lifestyle, our cultural
traditions from Myanmar, and our creativity – I wanted to capture that, so that’s why I started taking photos and videos from inside the
It’s my passion to tell the world about our lifestyle, so wherever I go in the camps, I use my phone to take pictures.I take photos of
Rohingya children, shelters, artworks, flowers, cultural traditions and also of the crises we face in the camps, like landslides, flooding
Though a few other Rohingya don’t like their photos being taken for their privacy, most are really interested in photography and what
we’re doing by sharing it with the world.Clockwise from top left: a family recovering from dengue fever; Rohingya workers clearing litter
to help maintain infrastructure and hygiene in the c-a lone banyan tree can be seen for miles
Most trees were cut down to make space for the camps in 2017; a concrete drainage system designed to help channel away water during heavy
rainsI’m a genocide survivor
I live with my family and we have suffered without freedom, surviving an uncertain future for almost five years in refugee camps after
already facing decades of discrimination and violence in Myanmar.People aren’t always able to express their feelings, and photography
takes courage, but this is our documentary of the crisis we face in these camps.Find Yassin on Instagram @ro_yassin_abdumonabRo Anamul
HasanPhotography helps us let people know how we suffer
I take photos of people who are still suffering as they live a life of refuge here
I take photos because I think they can help others understand the subjects of those photos and what they desire.It makes me happy to take
photos, and when I want to raise an issue faced by my community, I always choose taking photos over writing because it has a stronger impact
on the viewers.Find Ro Anamul on Instagram@roanamul_hasanMayyu KhanI don’t remember exactly why I got into photography but I loved it from
a very young age, though I only started in 2017, with a small mobile phone
I’ve even started making short films as well.I love taking photos and do it as often as I can, especially of nature and on the street, but
I have to be careful because of the rules inside the camp – I don’t always feel secure taking photographs here
Most people encourage me, though the reaction is mixed and some wonder whether it has any use for me in building a career.These pictures
capture memories and testimony, and record our lives for decades and eras to come
A special image can help to ease chaos and reveal the unknown
It helps me mentally and also economically, and I can use it to truly capture our society
I think these photos will be part of our history.Find Mayyu on Instagram @mayyu_khanSign up for a different view with our Global Dispatch
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This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
