Sacca: Photographing Myanmar’s reality
An insight into Sacca photo, and the important documentation of the long standing conflict in Myanmar
This month we are proud to feature the first of several stories from Sacca, an agency representing photographers from Myanmar. We begin with an introductory text giving a brief but detailed insight to Sacca’s formation as the Military coup of 2021 plunged an already fragile Myanmar into chaos, and the necessity of both getting stories out of the country, and supporting the photographers on the ground.
We follow this with the work of Ta Mwe, who covered the descent into all out civil war from the beginning, taking us through the early days of street protests out into the theatre of conflict now wracking much of the country.
A quick appeal: We pay the photographers we feature, and our website is open access and free to all. Help us support work like this buying us a coffee or three.
This war is particularly complex. Myanmar has been beset by conflict for decades. The modern roots of much of this can be traced back to a time when British colonial rule undermined the relative stability of the feudalist pillars of monarchy and monkhood, translating the Burmese kings' conception of their territories into an imperial province, regardless of the different ethnicities and peoples that occupied this space.
Fragmented and buffeted by shifting allegiances in the years up to and during World War II, the decades following independence in 1948 have been marked by political instability including consequential assassinations, periods of military dictatorship, insurgencies and independence movements along ethnic lines, nationalist fervour and religious militancy.
In recent years, steps toward democratic representation have been damaged by a military unable to relinquish power, the failure of political processes and the tarnishing of National League of Democracy politicians - including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s - reputation as they justified the persecution and expulsion of the Rohingya as simply a response to ethnic militancy. As if to underscore the chaotic nature of politics, Suu Kyi and other NLD politicians are currently imprisoned by the same military whose actions toward the Rohingya they recently excused. None of this is helped by ASEAN’s policy of non interference. All of this severely complicates what is perhaps only superficially a war between the two opposing sides of the Military Junta and a coalition ostensibly under the control of the National Unity Government. In truth, the many armed groups are fighting as much for their own aims as they are for a common goal.
To say Myanmar has been through a lot is an understatement. There must eventually be a resolution to the current conflict, intractable though that may currently seem. However, given the agonised history of the country, the question foremost in my mind is if Myanmar is indeed governable at all. A fractious and unsustainable peace may well follow this all out war, and the pressures of climate change will only add to the challenges facing the population.
We will be featuring more from Sacca over the coming weeks. This is important work on a region suffering greatly, and really needs your attention. The photographers of Sacca have a significant stake in the future of their country. They are more than concerned documentarians. They are citizens.
Writers, we want to hear from you
We’re partnering with Photography Chismis PH in the Philippines on their upcoming online publication of Insights: Issue Two - The Complex.
Insights is the special publication of Photography Chismis PH which aims to encourage and promote thoughtful writing about Photography in the Philippines.
Parallax is providing a special grant to a selected feature submission that engages critically with photojournalism and documentary work in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on the Philippines.
What we’re after: We welcome a broad range of styles and perspectives and as always would love to hear from anyone thinking of submitting. We encourage submissions ranging from individual reflections, journalistic accounts, and historical narratives. We value personal stories, conversations, and everyday observations as much as critical analyses, scholarly works, and artistic declarations. If you’re wondering what we’re looking for, then check out the written pieces we’ve published here to get an idea (did we mention that Tom’s piece on Veejay Villefranca’s Signos was also recently republished on Writing Foto?)
Submission deadline for this grant is 15 June 2024.
The selected author will receive 100 SGD from Parallax, 35 USD from Photography Chismis PH, Cross-publication in Parallax Photo Journal and Insights: Issue Two, and an invitation to participate in an “In Conversation” public presentation online with us!
👉 Insights: Submit to Issue Two
👉 Parallax Feature Grant details
👉 Read Issue One
Photography Chismis PH also has a great series of education programmes ongoing. Check their website for details, and follow them on Instagram where they feature photography of all genres and styles as well as details of photo related events in the Philippines.
Regional Photo News
Photographers
Congratulations to Hannah Reyes Morales for winning the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Photography!
Behind Sim Chi Yin’s best photograph in The Guardian: The village that fell into a river
Eloisa Lopez photographed this story on Turkish families sheltering on a train after February’s earthquake
Congratulations to Tainya Sarkar on being selected for the 2024 Joop Stewart Masterclass!
Ezra Acayan photographed this story on plastic waste in the Philippines recently for the Washington Post.
Lauren DeCicca photographed Big, Smoggy Bangkok Gets a Badly Needed Breath of Fresh Air for the New York Times
Alvin Lau photographed Malaysia’s appetite for oil and gas puts it on collision course with China for the Washington post
Reza Saifullah photographed this devastating story on the rape and torture of surviving Rohingya women and girls, by the crew of a capsized boat smuggling them to “safety” for the AP
Erik Prasetya on capturing Indonesia’s reformation through banal aesthetics, at TEDx Jakarta
Valeria Mongelli photographed Innovative prostheses offer hope on Thai-Myanmar border for Nikkei Asia
Ulet Ifansasti photographed Papua’s Moi people for Iklimku
Andre Malerba photographed The Thai Activist-Turned-Politician Who’s Bringing the Protest to Parliament for Time
Grants, workshops and opportunities
Submit to FotoMoto PH’s open call for I/LAND. Details here
Not to nag… but if you’re a writer who focuses on photography in Southeast Asia and the Philippines, you should really consider submitting to our very own Feature Grant for Photography ChisMis PH’s Insights Issue Two
Festivals and exhibitions
Gajah Gallery Jakarta will present the major group show ‘Customised Postures, (De)Colonising Gestures’, curated by art historian Dr Alexander Supartono. Previously exhibited in Gajah Gallery Singapore in January this year, this exhibition is now travelling to Jakarta and will open on 25 May. Details here
Tigamata Magazine’s first issue is finally here, and they kicked it off with an launch event in Kuala Lumpur on 18 May. Follow them on Instagram for more.
Photography Never Lies is an exhibition that initiates a dialogue questioning "photography" as a tool for recording significant events, and reflecting various perspectives from the past to the present. Showing at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre from 30 May – 8 September. Details here.
Keep us posted
Have work published? An upcoming exhibition? Workshops, opportunities or news? We’d love to include it in our newsletter. Let us know.