Participatory Photography for Peace: Using Images to Open Up Dialogue After Violence

Abstract

This article begins with a literature review of Participatory Photography (PP) that highlights how this tool has been mostly implemented for action research, advocacy, and public health purposes. It shows how scholars have only quite recently begun to recognise its ability to generate change among PP participants. This is followed by a description of the project that was carried out in Kenya, including its background, objectives and daily activities related to peacebuilding. Offering insight into crucial aspects of this work, examples of the photographs taken by participants and related stories are presented. The conclusion is preceded by reflections on the effectiveness, limitations and potential risks involved in carrying out PP projects in post-conflict settings.

Keywords:

• communication for development
• participatory photography
• storytelling
• reconciliation
• peacebuilding
• social change
• ethnic conflict

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Macquarie University under the Postgraduate Research Fund (PGRF). The project was undertaken in collaboration with A-STEP (Africa Sports Talent Empowerment Program).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Carlson et al. (2006) use the term ‘Photovoice’ when discussing their work. However, in this paper this term is replaced with ‘participatory photography’.

2 This is based on my own impressions gathered through research in Kenya after the Post-Election Violence, as well as from conversations with some of the peace workers based in the Rift Valley.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Valentina Baú

DR VALENTINA BAÚ is a lecturer and researcher at the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia). Both as a practitioner and a researcher, her work has focused on the use of media and communication in international development. She has completed a PhD at Macquarie University on the role of participatory media in conflict transformation and reconciliation after civil violence. Her present research explores different approaches and evaluation methodologies in the area of Communication for Development in Peacebuilding. In the past, Valentina has collaborated with different international NGOs, the United Nations and the Italian Development Cooperation, while living in various African countries. Her work has been published in different academic journals and online platforms.