Photo contest - see all the participating photos
How are women and their roles portrayed in war and conflicts? How close to reality are the stereotypes of weeping women and armed men? Are there other images, another reality? On May 5th the winning photo in Kvinna till Kvinnas competition will be elected. See all the participating pictures.
Those and other questions were the starting point when the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation decided to organise a photo competition called ”Women working for peace”. We turned to all of our over 100 partner organisations in the Middle East, Liberia and DR Congo, South Caucasia and Western Balkans and asked them to send us photos from their reality. We received lots of photos showing the devastating consequences of war, but most of all showing the active role that women play in war and conflicts. And how brave, border-crossing and important women’s work for peace is!
We have made a selection of the 10 photographs that we liked the most. Please also read the text that follows each photo, it is written by the photographer and reinforces the picture. The organisation that sent us the winning photo will receive the sum of 1000 Euros.
1. Jewish and Palestinian women demonstrating at Erez Checkpoint against the siege of Gaza
On January 26, 2008, Israeli peace organizations held a demonstration against the siege of the Gaza strip*. We went to the Erez checkpoint, the main checkpoint on the border of the Gaza strip, to demand end of the occupation and Israeli military control over Gaza and West Bank. We held this big demonstration in spite of rain and danger of Hamas rocket shooting from the Gaza strip, since we believe that the end of the occupation will bring peace for both nations.
Photographer: Vera Reider
Organisation: Coalition of Women for Peace, Israel
2. Palestinian and Jewish women harvesting olives on the West Bank
The picture shows Palestinian and Jewish women harvesting olives on the West Bank. Usually we harvest in the places inaccessible for the trees' owners (Palestinian farmers) due to the Separation Fence or vicinity of a settlement. So, we harvest the olives, together with farmers of the nearest village, and pass them to the owners.
Photographer: Vera Reider
Organisation: Coalition of Women for Peace, Israel
3. Palestian girl overlooking the Jericho landscape
The photo of this young girl was taken in the Jordan Valley in May 2009 during a workshop to train young Palestinians to express their surroundings and society. It portrays a young Palestinian girl overlooking the Jericho landscape with hope and a sense of anticipation.
Photographer: Heba Al-Agez
Organisation: Palestinian Working Women Society for Development, Palestine
4. Speaking unspeakable things
Apendeki Nabutunga, volunteer of FADI, is talking to members from two local conflicting clans. She spoke about the tensions that exist between the two clans. Nobody had dared to speak about these tensions before, as people felt that it would trigger new conflicts. During the meeting everybody remained stunned with the courage of Apendeki.
The picture was taken at Bangwe, on 30th December 2009, in commemoration of the Massacre of Makobola 2002. Hundreds of women and men were burned alive and killed with guns or suffocated with smoke in their homes. After the meeting, a mixed local committee was established with the role to monitor and address local conflicts.
Photographer: Eric L. Wa Mwenge
Organisation: FADI, Ulvira, DR Congo
5. What further?
Veronica Zelenska is the head of the Polish Society in North Ossetia. She is speaking to soldiers about the general situation in South Ossetia and peace perspectives, during her visit to South Ossetia on August 29, 2008.
On that same day, Veronica together with representatives of ethnic minorities from House of Friendship (based in North Ossetia) came to the capital Tskhinvali to support citizens of South Ossetia. That evening the Marinin Theater symphonic orchestra under the leadership of Gergiev played Requiem in the ruins of the town – the concert was dedicated to the killed during the war in August 2008.
Photographer: Irina Yanovska
Organisation: Journalists for Human Rights, South Ossetia
6. Fika Filipovic
I would like to honour Fika Filipovic with this photograph for her long activist participation. Fika is one of the two oldest peace activists of Women in Black, Belgrade. She participated in many international meetings of Women in Black, and in all WiB activities. She is 80 years old and still active.
She was born in Mostar and became an activist in 1994. This was during one demonstrations of the Women in Black for Sarajevo, during the war, with the message: "Women from Mostar, you are not alone!"
Photographer: Biliana Rakocevich
Organisation: Women in Black, Serbia
7. Vukovar 2006
I had the opportunity to go to Vukovar in 2006 with the Women in Black, Belgrade. This photo is to remind us all how the war is giving only dead, and how the brave women of WiB are still trying to reconciliate Serbs and Croatians, asking Croatian people for forgiveness. Women in Black were the only people from Serbia who came to the commemoration in Vukovar. This photo is special to me because we can see the Serbs and the Croatian people together, and in the distance the white crosses, something that is between them and among them.
Photographer: Biliana Rakocevich
Organisation: Women in Black, Serbia
8. The Raging Grannies
“The Raging Grannies” performing political satire at a demonstration in front of the Tel Aviv police station, demanding a stop to political persecution of feminist peace activists in Israel. The demonstration was organized in April 2009 following the investigation of activists of New Profile - a feminist movement working for the de-militarization of the Israeli society.
On the picture: veterans of feminist movement Chava Keller and Aliyah Strauss.
Photographer: Raya Knopov
Organisation: Coalition of Women for Peace, Israel
9. Humanitarian aid for new IDPs from old IDPs during the August war
Perhaps everybody remembers the events of August 2008 in Georgia. Again war, again IDPs, again fear and the people left without houses. As a result of this, a number of new terms has appeared in relation to the people who became internally displaced in August 2008: “new IDPs”, “August IDPs”, etc.
The whole Georgia and almost the whole world joined efforts to give a helping hand and support these “August IDPs”. Cultural-Humanitarian Fund ”Sukhumi” also contributes. This is an organization of IDP women from Abkhazia. The pain experienced in 2008 is still quite close for us “old IDPs”. We remember very well September seventeen years ago!
The photo is taken at the beginning of August in Kutaisi. It illuminates the minutes when the women from Fund “Sukhumi” render assistance to “new IDPs”.
Photographer: Manana Leshkasheli
Organisation: Cultural-Humanitarian Fund “Sukhumi”, Georgia
10. Getting involved
The Municipality Elbasan organizes each year public hearings with all citizens to make people part of the participatory budgeting process, asking common people what their needs are, what needs to be changed, etc. However, women do not participate in the public hearings.
The woman speaking to the audience of men is an activist and economist, Kristina Tavanxhiu. She is explaining to the inhabitants of 5 Maji, mostly composed of Roma community, what participatory budgeting process is, and how important it is to have the voice of women in these meetings.
Photographer: Nertila Toli
Organisation: Women’s Forum, Elbasan, Albania
