Using our lenses to dismantle power

Renowned photographer Shahidul Alam on the role of photo journalism in resistance to authoritarianism in Bangladesh. Alam was arrested and jailed in Bangladesh in 2018 for having shared photographs of – and his views about – ongoing student protests, which was deemed a violation of the Information and Communication Technology Act. A feature of de-democratization in Bangladesh is the silencing of dissenting voices, underscored, for instance, by its new (September 2023) Cyber Security Act. Alam will speak about the role of the photojournalist in fighting autocracy, discussing how the perceived veracity of the photograph gives it power and potential to challenge power structures.