Telling Human Rights Stories Through the Photographer's Lens

A display of 70 stunning photographs based around the theme of human rights opened as part of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights’ (CMHR) Canada 150 celebrations.

The exhibit, called Points of View, features award winning photographs, which a jury selected out of almost 1,000 submissions. They all center on the main theme of human rights in Canada.

“We wanted to keep the themes fairly broad because some of the photos tell stories of human rights victories and others tell stories of human rights challenges,” said Jeremy Maron, the curator of the exhibit. “There were some that came in and you needed to take a second look to discover the human rights relevance of the photograph and others came in and that relevance was seen immediately.”

Maron says the jury members evaluated each photograph individually then came together for two days in January to decide which ones to feature. He says the award winners for each category and the rest of the photos were decided on almost unanimously.

“We were all very pleased and happy with the photos that were selected,” said Maron. “When people come in to see these photos they’re going to see different expressions of what human rights means to people.”

The photos center on four main categories, including “Reconciliation”, “Freedom of Expression”, “Human Rights and the Environment” and “Inclusion and Diversity.”

Rajneesh Fontana is a Victoria-based photographer who lived in Winnipeg for a number of years and won the best photo for the “Freedom of Expression” category for her self-portrait entitled “I Me Myself”.

Though she prides herself on being a Canadian citizen, she grew up in India, where she found freedom was hard to come by for a lot of women. Though she says that is not an issue strictly confined to certain countries.

“There are rules to follow for women everywhere,” said Fontana. “Even in first world countries there is usually a father or brother or boyfriend that women have to ask before they do anything and they shouldn’t have to do that.”

“I was fortunate to be educated and my father always told me to be who I was and form my own identity and that’s always how I’ve lived my life,” she continued. “I make my own decisions and don’t ask anybody. At the end of the day whether I’m right or wrong, it’s my own decision.”

Tim Dawson is a Winnipeg photographer and his 2014 photo “Everybody Should Be Able to Feel the Ocean” is featured in the “Human Rights and the Environment” category. It focuses on a boardwalk in Prince Edward Island that was converted from stairs into a ramp in the 1980’s, allowing people in wheelchairs to access the beach. The boardwalk was built to avoid putting a pathway through the sand dunes below. 

“It fits right into that theme of Human Rights and the Environment” said Dawson. “It’s taking away barriers for people who have those issues.”

The exhibit is open to the public and will be on display at the CMHR until February 4, 2018. If you attend the exhibit you can vote for your favourite photograph to win the “People’s Choice” award. You can also view the photographs and vote online by visiting the CMHR’s website.