Cork City Library set to host a unique exhibition titled ‘Women by Women’

A TRAILBLAZING photography exhibition called ‘Women by Women’ comes to Cork this week.

ActionAid Ireland is bringing the unique photography exhibition, that celebrates female trailblazers and the incredible talent of women photographers around the world, to Cork City Library on June 8.

The exhibition will remain on show in the library for the rest of the month.

It showcases women on the frontlines of climate change and who have overcome obstacles to become leaders in their community.

The exhibition also highlights the work and activism of women all over the world, including a local women’s oyster farm in Senegal, a volunteer firefighter in Bangladesh, and a young Palestinian woman who has started selling desserts in the West Bank.

In addition, all the images were taken by local female photographers.

Karol Balfe, CEO of ActionAid Ireland, said of the exhibition: “We are aiming to bring an anti-racist, feminist perspective to the way women and girls living in poverty are represented.

Where possible, we are shifting the power of story-telling to talented women photographers who were born in Africa, Asia, and the Americas and who live and work there.

“And we are committed to moving away from traditional charity imagery that depicts people as objects of pity, helpless, desperate and without dignity.

“We are delighted to bring the Women by Women exhibition to Cork as part of this commitment. ActionAid will be 40 years in Ireland this year and there are people in Cork who have been supporting our work for that long. 

We are delighted to get the opportunity to meet some of these supporters and to showcase the impact of this support.

ActionAid works with women and children as they take the lead in claiming their human rights to build a more just world. Irish Aid, at the Department of Foreign Affairs, funds an ActionAid Women’s Rights programme in Kenya, Nepal and Ethiopia, to work with vulnerable communities in an effort to prevent gender-based violence and help women gain an independent income.

Those who feature in the Women by Women exhibition had the following to say:

“All I want is to be a strong pillar for my children.” Asiah, Ugandan businesswoman and survivor of violence. Her photo was taken by Esther Mbabazi / ActionAid.

“In recent years, the climate has become more erratic and harsh. There are many thunderstorms and tornadoes that cause the roofs to blow off. In 2020, saline water came early …the rice was withered and there was no water for crops and fruit trees.” So said Thu and Huong, who are farmers, close friends, and members of a village women’s group in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam.

Many members of the women’s group are their family’s breadwinners. This area is very vulnerable to climate change impacts; in recent years farming communities here have been suffering huge losses and struggling against the high levels of salty seawater intruding into the freshwater delta and rice fields.

Their photo was taken by Yen Duong/ActionAid

There is also a photograph of Rebeca Lane performing in Antigua, Guatemala. Rebeca is a trailblazing Guatemalan hip-hop artist who uses her music to promote feminism and fight for social justice. She is a survivor of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of a former partner, a topic she addresses in her most famous song: Mujer Lunar, or ‘Lunar Woman’, which calls for respect for women’s bodies. Her photo was taken by Morena Perez Joachin/ActionAid.

“Life here is very difficult. I have some bad memories from the war. I just want my children to live a better life.” So says Khadija, 27, who is the youngest member of the Al-Zahra Kitchen, a local enterprise run by 10 women from some of the most marginalised communities in the West Bank.

The kitchen sells desserts and pastries to local schools, offices, and businesses.

Her photograph was taken by Samar Hazboun/ActionAid

For more see actionaid.ie