India
Blog
Welcome to our blog. Here, you can keep up with our latest projects and news, get insights into the world of visual storytelling and communication for development and go behind the scenes to meet the creative team responsible for our work.
8th August, 2016
Chitrabani is an Indian photography and film training centre. Founded in the 1960s, it has remained faithful to its focus on using visual media for social good since then. This is a brief tale of Chitrabani’s conception, revealing how its founder used positive representations of people in very poor areas to change perceptions of them and to raise their profiles. This story resonates strongly with us at Communication for Development Ltd (CfD), since our work is underpinned by very similar values. [...]
1st July, 2017
Some people may argue long-gone are the days of ‘poverty porn’ running rampant throughout the development sector, but it’s now 2018 and apparently old habits die hard. The term ‘poverty porn’ is used to describe the practices of development NGOs, charities, and foundations that inappropriately portray benefactors as desperate individuals in need of philanthropic donations. Their images are used to create emotions of guilt and subsequently solicit donations. Such practices have heavy colonial undertones and unfortunately can still be found within aid efforts today. Radi Aid is a Scandinavian student run watchdog for international development projects. Every year they call-out various stereotype-riddled aid campaigns for inappropriate communication methods. In an effort to make sure organisations remain accountable for their actions, a ‘most offensive’ campaign award is given out annually. Radi-Aid continues to critique the use of ‘poverty tourism’ and the portrayal of a ‘savior complex’ in development communication materials. In parallel to these criticisms, the organisation also annually applauds campaigns that work to break down prejudices and stereotypes within the development sector. The strong movement towards ethical practices in development communication has been picked up by NGOs, governments, and individuals around the world. In 2007 Ireland drafted the Dóchas Code […]
