Aidnography

Hi all, This week's debate about MSF's use of images in their communication is a important reminder that the industry has barely started to engage with the past, present & future of visual communication-but also that blanked accusations that humanitarian organizations just do it for the fundraising brushes over so many nuances & important work on the ground. Compassion, humanitarian instinct, upstream vs downstream #globaldev, white supremacy & social capital are some of the other big words that we are tackling in this week's post from Romania to Yemen. As I already mentioned in Tuesday's newsletter , it's thesis examination time so there won't be a newsletter next Friday as we are celebrating our students in real life with a Syrian dinner in Malmö! My quotes of the week This research serves as a reminder that Yemenis are interested in more than just the satisfaction of their essential needs (such as water, food, and shelter). It highlights the diver...

Hi all, One of your favourite #globaldev newsletters is back-with UK aid, land reform, historical insights into China & Africa, philanthropy, racist professionalism, Marxism & classic photo op where Bono met... ;) Enjoy! My quotes of the week In contrast, grassroots organizations like mine that give out small grants require far less proof of need, just brief stories. Take a widow’s request for money for clothes: We will not ask for pictures of her in old dresses to believe that all she had were old dresses. Nor do we ask for pictures of her wardrobe as evidence of her need, nor ask for her account statement with M-Pesa — a mobile money service — to see how well she’d spent whatever funds we gave her. Philanthropy is about the human in need — if she asks for help, I trust that she needs help. (Philanthropy needs to remember the 'human' in humanitarian) Not only is professionalism a double standard in how it’s applied, but the actual standard itself is grounded in a set ...

Hi all, It's really not easy to stay positive in the #globaldev universe, is it...'Frustrations', 'held back democracy', 'blame', 'losing faith', 'monetise data' & 'intellectual masturbation' are just some of the phrases from this week's headlines...but these phrases are also an indication of the (constructive) critique, investigative work & critical communication that is necessary to tell the Emperor that they sometimes don't wear clothes... I will be visiting wonderful colleagues at the University of Guelph in Canada next week and will focus my attention 'on the ground'-so no link review next week! My quotes of the week We take back these narratives with hopeful words that bring back the courage that sometimes disappears with everything that has been happening. That we have a hopeful future, that we are succeeding every time we continue sowing, every time we continue protecting life, every time we continue or...