As I strolled across campus this past weekend with a few friends I was pleased to see the submissions to the annual Trent International Program Photo Contest displayed outside of Gzowski cafeteria. I took great interest and pride in seeing the beautiful photos representing a diverse array of year abroad experiences, including my own.
However, there was one photo which did not seem to fit.
This picture bothered me in its depiction of an elderly woman, sitting on the ground with her dress sliding off of one shoulder exposing her breast, her sad eyes staring up at the photographer. This photo presents this unnamed woman as vulnerable, poor, and helpless. The very composition of the photo, taken from above by a visiting, Canadian student, reminded me of the “colonial gaze” palpable in old history books and World Vision advertisements.
I was surprised to learn later that day that this photo is the frontrunner in the contest's online Facebook voting. At press time, the photo, entitled “Woman”, has 136 votes. That is nearly double the amount of the next most popular entry, “Big Ben”, which has 63votes. The winner of the contest has not yet been officially announced. The first place winner will receive a $100 prize.
Obviously this image is, from an aesthetic point of view, powerful. It forces the audience to think and ask questions, exactly what a photographer aims to create when he or she practices their craft.And of course, I do not know the relationship between this woman and the photographer, though I imagine it was much deeper than the photo reveals.
But the nature of photography is that it is highly subjective, and so whatever the intent of the photographer, we still need to consider the impression it gives to the viewer.This image is exploitive of this woman - she appears weak yet dignified. By prominently displaying this woman's photo, we are robbing the subject of her dignity, turning her poverty and sadness into a postcard for Trent Year Abroad programs.
While this image is visually interesting, I think that this image does not represent the experience of participating in a Trent University Study Abroad Program, and if it does, then we need to re-examine what kind of attitude the study abroad program is meant to foster towards people in the host country.
In my experience these programs are about the sharing of knowledge between cultures, learning about diverse ways of living and viewing the world, and collaborating with peers around the world to develop our own ideas as to how to use our education to make a positive impact. The year abroad programs which include a “placement” or “internship” component, such as the Trent in Ghana or Trent in Ecuador programs, are not outside of these goals. In my experience, professors and past participants take many steps to avoid the image of“voluntourism” being popularized in today’s society.
My gripe is not so much with this photo being taken in the first place, but that it was seen fit by this student to be displayed in a photo contest for participants in Trent University Study Abroad programs.
I know that the emotion of pity evoked by this image does not represent my own year abroad experience in a so-called “less developed country” and I hope that this sentiment is not representative of my peers’ experiences.
I think that if this is what represents the community of year abroad participants, and that’s a BIG if, then the TIP office and various departments involved in planning these programs need to reassess their goals and the structure of their programs. This image may represent a deeper issue in terms of what students are getting out of these programs and how the TIP office itself conveys the purpose and ethical challenges of its work to participating students.
To see all the contest entries, go to the “Trent Study Abroad Program” Facebook page, then click “Photo Contest.”
