Asian Voice spoke with intrepid photojournalist, Adib Chowdhury, shortly after his return from South Asia, where he had spent several weeks uniquely documenting the accounts of some of the thousands of Rohingya refugees recently driven - in a massive military-led attack by the Myanmar (formerly Burma) government – from their indigenous homeland. Adib travelled from Myanmar across the border to Bangladesh, the young journalist’s country of origin, alongside the fleeing Rohingya people who are not recognised as citizens in the Buddhist majority Myanmar. “What I saw was horrific,” Adib stated. “I was there on the 7th of September just after the Myanmar army began what they claimed to be a counter-terrorist clearance operation. At this point there weren’t that many journalists on the ground. There were streams of people as far as the eye could see coming across the border: coming over with gunshot wounds, lost legs - limbs blown up by mines. People were carrying their relatives. You could see the villages burning along the horizon. There were plumes of smoke rising up to the sky. I’ll never forget the sight of parents having to bury their children; shot, drowned. This was clearly genocide.” Though this incident is being viewed by many as the worst and “final push”, with Al Jazeera reporting it to be ‘the world’s biggest forced exodus this year’, Adib made sure to emphasise that “the warning signs for ethnic cleansing have been there for a long time. I even remember giving a presentation discussing the sort of discourse and damning rhetoric the Myanmar leadership were using. That was back when I was completing my MA in International Conflict studies at LSE. It always shocks me how little people seem to pay attention, including the UK’s mainstream press. It was the same with the Syrian refugee crisis and with Rwanda. This was targeted killing.” With the Rohingya villages being burned to the ground and the people being assaulted and raped, and displaced into refugee camps which have been “described as tantamount to prison” since 2012, the media oversight is an undeniable fact. In addition to other tell-tale signs, experts have also speculated growing economic incentives for destroying property to free up land for foreign investment.
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“David Miliband actually suggested a trade embargo on the country by way of counteracting escalating hostility in 2007 by the military towards protestors: why is this not be doing done for a clearly documented case of genocide?” Adib elaborated. “It is shocking that the urgency diminished. As soon as I heard what was happening this August, I flew straight out and eventually ended up submitting work to Agence France Presse (AFP). The UN figures at the start of September were roughly 260,000 refugees when in fact it was initially considerably more. Currently the figure is over 800,000 as Rohingya have continued to escape.” But Adib’s reporting aimed to go beyond flat statistics: “I wanted to go to Bangladesh to not only cover an underreported atrocity but to humanise the Rohingya refugees. I had been in Greece to cover the Syrian crisis, and didn’t feel that the refugees’ voices had been captured enough through just my shots. I wanted to show that the Rohingya people are not just passive victims; I did this by producing a portrait series wherein I asked refugees whom I interviewed to give handwritten messages (pictured) to the international community, to the Myanmar army and to the current leader: Aung San Suu Kyi. One of the most notable aspects of this was the fact that there was much catharsis as they expressed themselves and recounted their ordeals. It was very personal and humbling to take these interviews and witness them write and speak about the terrible violence they endured. I used an old medium format film camera that took time to compose and shoot. This enabled me to interact and spend longer with each person to establish a more genuine connection.” Adib’s life-giving, evocative work comes to the fore at a significant time. With a Repatriation deal in motion, the stakes are high in securing the safety of the Rohingya. “There’s no point in discussing the return of this minority to their land when there is no guarantee that they will be treated democratically, or even have a home!” Thus, Adib not only tangibly fights for the future of the Rohingya but for turning the “recurring cycles of genocide” into shadows of a global past.
Do you think UN policy needs to be reformed to help prevent large-scale atrocities such as this?
Yes, one does need to have a firm line, but I also understand the predicament. I have actually interned in Brussels in foreign policy. Though it can be frustrating, I understand that in order to help in crises like these, you need that government to be receptive and have to tow a careful balance when condemning to keep open channels of dialogue which can result in viable solutions.
Incidentally, I do now work with a non-profit organisation called Iguacu (named after a waterfall in Argentina) as a disaster response specialist. We independently help advise on the urgency of particular humanitarian crises. We also advise the public on the best charities to give donations to so that aid may reach the right people at the right time.
What’s a particular sentiment that has stayed with you through your journey?
As a British and Bangladeshi individual, I noticed the difference between the responses to the European migrant crisis which fell prone to xenophobic discourse. In Bangladesh ordinary Bangladeshi farmers were giving so much despite not having much themselves. There was much willingness and solidarity to the crisis which was touching to see.
What’s special about photojournalism?
It can say so much more than writing. It conveys raw emotions. Time is suspended enabling the viewer to see the situation more clearly: I think that’s why I enjoy black and white photography. You can tell a lot more by the way someone is looking; how the light is shining, focus on the fine details, all this from taking away the distraction of colour. I think powerful pieces of photojournalism are protest pieces. They make people stand up and feel strongly about an issue and want to delve further. When you complement photos with words and audio, it’s altogether more powerful. I have always been fascinated by the dynamics of power and how conflict arises from this.
Finally, what does it take to be a good photojournalist?
Determination and grit. You have to feel passionate because you are going to face obstacle after obstacle. Stories I’ve half-heartedly covered have never been successful.
W: https://www.adibphotography.com/
I: https://www.instagram.com/adibchow/