The World Press Photo Exhibition acts as a time capsule of the previous twelve months, offering a glimpse into what’s been happening in all corners of the globe. The photographs are always thought-provoking, and many are relevant to projects we’ve worked on. For me, the exhibition was an emotional rollercoaster – the images were a mix of happy, sad and heart-wrenching. They also provided great insight into the importance of photojournalism. As our Creative Lead, Bo Tam, put it:
“Truth-telling through photography is more important than ever. In a world threatened by censorship, fake news and the kind of technology that allows for ever more realistic ‘deepfakes’, the World Press Photo Exhibition reminds us of the integrity of photojournalists.
They often put themselves in challenging, dangerous situations on the ground to bring the truth to the rest of the world.”
OUR CREATIVE LEAD, BO TAM, AT THE 2022 WORLD PRESS PHOTO EXHIBITION. © TONE STUDIO.
It was interesting that each team member was drawn to completely different images on different sides of the room. I was particularly drawn to the images that spoke to my life experience and highlighted some of my biggest fears. Many depicted what taking away political freedoms can do to a community and what fighting for justice together can look like.
AMINAH LABARAN (NOT HER REAL NAME) CRIES AT HOME,IN NORTHWEST NIGERIA, THE DAY AFTER HER TWO DAUGHTERS WERE ABDUCTED BY GUNMEN © SODIQ ADELAKUN ADEKOLA
The piece that stuck with me most featured images of an empty classroom in Nigeria. Islamist groups had taken the children hostage to oppose Western secularism. I imagined this happening to my family, and the very thought made me break into tears.
For Bo, a colour-coded world map showing how countries stack up regarding press freedom by Reporters Without Borders resonated most. “The situation scale ranged from black for ‘very serious’, red for ‘difficult’, orange for ‘problematic’, yellow for ‘satisfactory’, to white for ‘good’. Seeing the map dominated by black, red and orange was a stark reminder of how important journalism is.”
MAP SHOWING PHOTOJOURNALISM SAFETY SCALE. RANGING FROM BLACK FOR ‘VERY SERIOUS’, RED FOR ‘DIFFICULT’, ORANGE FOR ‘PROBLEMATIC’, YELLOW FOR ‘SATISFACTORY’, TO WHITE FOR ‘GOOD’ © TONE STUDIO
After viewing the exhibition, we made our way to Opera Bar to re-group, connect and chat about what we had seen.
TONE DAY OUT 2022 © TONE STUDIO
While the content of the World Press Photo Exhibition was harrowing at times, we all felt fortunate to be part of a team that encourages open conversations around world events. I am very much looking forward to our next Tone Day Out and am eager to learn where it will take us.