News

• Women by Women, ActionAid’s flagship photography exhibition celebrating
  women both behind and in front of the camera, is coming to Exeter for the first
  time this International Women’s Day with a powerful collection of images
  spotlighting women land defenders
• The free exhibition is open from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 March at Positive Light
  Projects in Exeter’s Sidwell Street
• Featuring images from Brazil, Nigeria, Cambodia and Nepal, the exhibition
  champions the collective strength and resilience of women who are resisting
  threats to their land, communities and futures

SWIDN are pleased to share this piece provided by and written by ActionAid

A striking photography exhibition organised by ActionAid UK which spotlights women around
the world who are defending their land and their communities from destruction is coming to
Exeter this International Women’s Day.

Women By Women: Rooted in Resilience depicts women leaders in Brazil, Cambodia,
Nepal and Nigeria who are fighting to protect their homes and ways of life from harm –
whether it comes from powerful people, corporations or the climate crisis – all captured by
talented women photographers.

The exhibition tells their deeply personal stories while also exposing the systematic
discrimination and exploitation these women face, and highlights the trailblazing women-led
organisations that are supporting them to collectively defend their rights.

From the farmers in Nigeria standing up to the oil companies polluting their land, to the
former bonded labourers in Nepal who are still fighting to receive land certificates in their
names, each woman has a powerful tale of community resistance and resilience to tell.
The free exhibition will be open to the public for a short run at Positive Light Projects in
Sidwell Street from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th March.

It marks the first time that Women By Women, ActionAid’s flagship photography exhibition
celebrating women both behind and in front of the camera, has been shown in the South
West.

Krishni (left) and Biruni are leaders and activists fighting for the rights and freedoms of their
community of former bonded labourers in Neal. Photo: Uma Bista/ActionAid

Women own less than 2% of the world’s land, despite producing 60-80% of food in many
countries: a stark inequality which results from structural injustices like colonialism,
patriarchy and capitalism. The exhibition makes clear that when women have access to and
control over land, they are not only able to develop sustainable livelihoods, they are able to
protect and preserve vital natural environments for the benefit of us all.
Among the communities featured in the exhibition are the women babassu coconut breakers
in northeastern Brazil, who collect and break coconuts following centuries-old traditions
passed down from mother to daughter.
They are defending their way of life against multiple threats: from landowners who unlawfully
deny them access to palm tree groves, to harmful agribusiness and infrastructure projects
which promote deforestation and degrade nature.

Bárbara has been breaking coconuts since she was eight years old and works alongside other
women to defend the coconut groves. Photo: Nay Jinknss/ActionAid

\Bárbara, a coconut breaker and Secretary of the Association of Women Coconut Breakers,
said: “I am a true defender of the earth. Whenever companies are felling trees, people
always get in touch, so I can mobilise the other women, and we go all together.”

Her photo was taken by Nay Jinknss, a Brazilian photographer who said it was a privilege
to meet the babassu coconut breakers, hear their stories and photograph them. She said:
“What I want with this work is to be able to preserve memory, the identity of these
communities, their struggle, their resistance.”

In Cambodia’s Koh Kong province, women in the fishing community of Trapaeng Pris are
fighting to protect their communal land and its precious local ecosystem from encroachment
by private landowners, illegal loggers and fishers, and from the climate crisis which has
made the area more vulnerable to forest fires. The area was once home to 50 freshwater
ponds but now only one is left after the rest were destroyed for private development.
Chan Kimcheng, one of several woman champions trained by ActionAid Cambodia and
who was photographed for the exhibition, said: “It is rare to find collectively owned land with
such rich natural resources. We must protect this place, not just for our generation but for all
future generations.”

Chan Kimcheng is a community leader fighting for the protection of the local ecosystem and
training others to defend the land. Photo: Sophal Neak/ActionAid

The exhibition brings an anti-racist, feminist perspective to way that women and girls are
depicted, with the promise to never telling a single or stereotyped story about a person or
place. It showcases the incredible talent of women photographers, who are often
underrepresented, and demonstrates why – as storytellers who understand the local context
– they are best placed to represent the lives and experiences of women in an authentic way.
Etinosa Yvonne, a Nigerian artist who photographed women farmers in the Niger Delta,
said: “Photography has the power to bear witness….the power to teach. I hope when people
come to the exhibition that they engage with it, they reflect on it and they can start to be
change makers in their own way.”

The stories told in the exhibition consistently highlight the power of collective action to bring
about real change, yet the local, grassroots women’s rights organisations that are at the
forefront of the fight for justice and equality are often overlooked by donors and struggle to
secure the long-term and flexible funding they need.

Taahra Ghazi, co-CEO of ActionAid UK, said: “This stunning exhibition is a true
celebration of resilient women, who tirelessly defend their land against multiple threats and,

in doing so, preserve the precious ecosystems that we all depend on. At a time of great fear
and upheaval in the world, these striking images capture the collective love, strength and joy
in women’s resistance.

“Women By Women is more than an exhibition — it’s a platform for action. The stories
captured demonstrate the groundbreaking work of women’s rights organisations around the
world: we hope people will be galvanised to support their work and join our call for these
organisations to be awarded the long-term, flexible funding they need to keep on bringing
about vital change.”

Find out more about the exhibition here.