Fighting AIDS with Photography

Author:

Maria Kaski

Nell Freeman’s intimate account of her work in DR Congo, published this week on the BBC website, sheds a positive light on the power of photography in combating AIDS in the war-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo.

Freeman, a photojournalist from the UK, working alongside Christian Aid, turned 12 HIV-positive digital camera novices from Kinshasa into professional photographers in just four weeks.

Working towards the goal of familiarising the participants with the digital equipment, Freeman carried out workshops in still life and commercial photography, thereby allowing the 12 activists to train others from their villages once the program had reached its end.

Dispelling all scepticism of the project’s success, Freeman recounts how, thanks to their training, the participants have continued to work as photographers and are now all able to afford the anti-retroviral drugs.

Celebrating the phenomenal success of the project, the student’s images were displayed in an exhibition that attracted coverage from all over the country. Check the images on the BBC website.

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