Surinamese children capture the effects of Global Warming on camera
“See the world through your photo lens”
“See the world through your photo lens” is a new workshop that +597 Photography Foundation is doing in collaboration with Villa Zapakara. During this workshop, children between 10-13 years discover how they can capture the effects of Global Warming in their own living environment.
On the basis of the Professor Naipal Waterpark, one of the eight exhibition parts of the “Sranan Krakti” exhibition in Villa Zapakara, we shed light on the water problem in Suriname. Not only as a result of climate change, but also because of the plastic waste problem. With the photos of Professor Naipal, who started documenting these effects on the Surinamese coastline, we switch to the photography part.
Rafael Jantz – one of the +597 photographers – will talk about how photography plays a role in raising awareness of major global issues. “For me as a photographer it is important to share my love for the profession with the new generation. And to teach the youth how important it is to document all facets of Suriname in the context of heritage preservation ”, says Rafael Jantz.
Sranan Krakti
From the photos that the participants will take themselves, the children will also learn that there is strength in the unique way each individual sees the world. This is entirely in line with Villa Zapakara’s current exhibition “Sranan Krakti”.
“The themes that we deal with in the exhibition are not only about the power of Surinamese nature and culture, but also about the power within yourself. By means of these kinds of workshops we want to encourage young people to discover their own talent and strength and to link them to a current theme such as Global Warming. Developing an individual and critical view of the world is important for the future of Suriname and propagating the strength of Suriname, locally and internationally”says Coco Duivenvoorde, project manager Villa Zapakara. “The seed in each of us has already been planted, how are you going to grow it?” adds Dakaya Lenz, director of Villa Zapakara.
After the workshop, the young participants will have a month to take their own photographs in their own living environment on the theme of Water. An online competition will take place on the Facebook page of +597 Photography online wall art gallery where people can vote for the photo that appeals the most.
+597 Photography Foundation
The +597 Photography Foundation is a Surinamese foundation that aims to promote photography as a profession and as an art form within Suriname. “Photography is a very good medium for visualizing what kind of world we live in. With all its beautiful and less beautiful sides. If through this art form we get people to think and maybe even bring about change to make the world a bit more beautiful, how wonderful would that be” says Chantal Kartaram, one of the founders of the foundation. In addition to the workshop and the photo competition, the +597 Photography Foundation has also set a long-term goal to get attention locally and internationally for Global Warming and its consequences in Suriname. For five years, a drone photo will be taken twice a year at the same place, day and time by a +597 photographer to make these effects visible over a longer period.