By Susan Tileston | Director, MSppa
The border city of Mae Sot, Thailand, has seen a surge in refugees from neighboring Myanmar, due to increased fighting between pro-democracy insurgent militias and the Tatmadaw, the army of the ruling military junta.
The MY STORY photo project (MSppa) ran a 2 month photo workshop (mid-Jan through mid-March) for some of these elder refugees with the help of Joy House, a community center offering support and creative opportunities to Myanmar refugees.
Workshop participants documented their new lives in Mae Sot using cell phones rather than digital cameras. This was because we could not find affordable entry-level digital cameras, while everyone had a cell phone. These are ubiquitous in SE Asia and very affordable!
Participants were asked to document their living situations in Mae Sot and to share their feelings and illustrate the challenges they face through photo essays. Only one of the participants has a renewable travel document that allowed him to be in Thailand. The other 9 are undocumented and not registered with UNHCR as refugees, so they are subject to detention and deportation if they are stopped by the authorities.
What was heartening for me to see was the way this group of 10 strangers became immediate friends, helping each other without question, laughing ( a lot!) and sharing ideas.Their positive attitude continues to inspire me.
In April I went to Battambang, Cambodia, to work with HelpAge.org in running a 5 day photo workshop for elders. In spite of the respect in which they are held in SE Asia, there are very few support programs for Cambodian seniors HelpAge.org Cambodia offers support to elders and advocates for their mental and physical well-being. The workshop was designed to give participants the tools to tell their stories through photos and to share those stories with their community.
While the workshop was supposed to be for 10 elders, I was greeted by 10 elders plus 9 Help.Age staff members who also wanted to participate! They frequently travel to rural areas to work with seniors and wanted to know how to improve their photographic documentation.
While I concentrated on the elder participants, it was encouraging to see how the younger members worked with the elders as peers, explaining the workings of the cell phone camera while the elders put together photo story ideas.
Images from these workshops were shown at Borderline Gallery, Mae Sot, in May and willI be shown in Nova Scota at ARTsPLACE Gallery in September.
Thank you again for your interest and continuing support!
Susan Tileston
Director, MSppa
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