Tunde Alabi-HundeyinAssociate (Media and Film)
Research
BEHIND THE IMAGERY: DECONSTRUCTING VISUAL STEREOTYPES OF AFRICAN CHILDREN IN HUMANITARIAN PHOTOGRAPHY
In a bid to raise funds and educate the public, international aid organisations make unethical missteps that significantly affect the lives of the vulnerable people whom they seek to help, particularly children. One such misstep is the objectification of children from the Global South as victims of poverty, war, disaster and ill health.
This practice-led research examines the normalised representational practices regarding African children in humanitarian photography, querying blackness as an iconic signpost of distant suffering. It further attempts to shape practice by demonstrating contemporary approaches to visual representation through a creative portfolio and exhibitions.
Through visual analysis, visual ethnography, participatory photography, and the perspectives of photographers and NGO creative directors, this research, which has produced a photo documentary essay/exhibition, Utopia, advocates for a greater impact of the power of imagery in humanitarian aid fundraising and advocacy, while promoting ethical images of the ‘other’.
Supervisors: Melanie Friend & Anke Schwittay