Hosted by Photovoice and GlobalNet21 and well attended by public, media and NGOs, the event provoked discussion about the role of photography in social change.
The featured exhibition, Kick HIV Stigma Out, was one of two galleries photographed and curated during the Alliance workshop, which involved six participants from five countries – Cameroon, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Ukraine. The photographers’ aim was to illustrate the community’s role in challenging and reducing HIV-related stigma, and their collective feeling of hope.
The workshop took place during the Football Fighting Back event last year co-hosted by the Alliance and Albion in the Community, the charitable arm of Brighton and Hove Albion FC.
The perspective of the six participants on the value of their photography was three-fold; to raise awareness and on the HIV-related issues affecting their communities, and to use photography as both an advocacy and fundraising tool.
“Back home I’ll use the photography for documenting activities; I can see this will help me when looking for more sponsors,” Andoni Bello Lanestosa, TRI-GAY Football team and NGO, Mexico.
You can read more about the PICS festival here, and leaf through the magazine below (the Alliance project is on page 11).