Zambia Workshop - Chishawasha Children's Home, Lusaka
May 26 - 31/2010 - Exhibition at the Brookly Academy of Music (BAM) - Check the Events Calendar for event details. Welcome to Chishawasha's Photography Workshop... as featured in the November 2007 issue of Smithsonian Magazine and on Kids with Cameras website. Students' photographs are now available to you online as high quality art prints. Proceeds will ensure this project's future and benefit the Chishawasha Childrens Home. |
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What this project is about: While retroviral drug programs and health education certainly make inroads, the AIDS crisis continues to affect Zambia gravely. In its wake, thousands of orphans struggle for themselves or are barely strung along. Zambia's prevailing concept of extended families is stretched to its breaking point. Those lucky enough to be aided along by resourceful relatives, dedicated individuals and aid programs find few educational opportunities. They grow up into a largely informal economy with official unemployment rates of up to 70 percent. Zambias future depends on more than food and medicine. It will take education, international outreach, the creation of civic and business opportunities. And it will take vision. While modern life's flood of imagery does not always help us see more clearly, photography - when used as a tool of illumination, continues to empower those who still have much to gain. This project is about passing the torch to the children of Chishawasha - allowing them to experience and describe their place in the world in new and surprisingly hopeful ways. |
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When one of Chishawasha's fundraising partners in the United States approached him for a pro bono assignment, NYC-based photographer Klaus Schoenwiese started researching the Zambian Children's Fund and the possibilities of making more out of a proposed visit to this small, budding Orphanage and School in Lusaka, Zambia. Equally inspired by Chishawasha's good work and the unrelated achievements of kids-with-cameras.org, Klaus approached Kids with Cameras' founder and Academy Award Winner Zana Briski ( 'Born into Brothels' ) to utilize some of her foundation's existing framework to facilitate his own children's photography workshop in Zambia. Strangely enough, the poorest countries in Africa are also very expensive countries when it comes to getting things done. In Zambia's twisted economy almost everything is imported, so it was clear from the get-go that this 'Kids with Cameras' workshop would be somewhat different from previous more open-ended undertakings. It needed to be planned out ahead of time, self-supplied and of a defined duration. Chishawasha, with its family style living, its own school and a small, exceptionally supportive staff made for a perfect partner in this and in many other regards. After two months of research, fundraising and curricular planning Klaus arrived at Chishawasha with 50 lbs. of cameras, 35mm film, books, teaching tools and crafts material, 40 photo albums, laundry line and clips, pre-cut portfolio card stock, double-stick tape... anything needed to see it through. The mentioned pounds didn't even include his professional gear and personal effects. Luckily, customs officials of three countries let him pass unchallenged and he happily paid the unexpected but no less required excess luggage fees within Africa. Already going by "Uncle Klaus' he was warmly welcomed by the staff and the kids as their personal guest and guest teacher for three weeks to come. All participants' hard work came to fruition when their final show opened at the bright and beautiful 'Chishawasha Gallery' - really a soon to be new classroom at Chishawasha's expanding primary school which currently serves about 35 residential kids and another 45 kids from surrounding communities. Visit our blog for detailed workshop impressions. Find out about each workshop student, their personal history and their workshop photos. Visit our online gallery to view the workshop results and to order your favorite workshop photographs online. Proceeds ensure this project's future and benefit the US-based Zambian Children's Fund and its Chishawasha Children's Home of Zambia - the community it serves. |
We currently welcome your support as our travel exhibition featuring the Zambia Workshop's results is being made available to suitable venues not just in New York City but nationwide. We would also like to bring the exhibition back to Zambia's capital, at the highest available - and to return to Chishawasha for phase four of this project - a digital imaging workshop bringing a locally viable skill set to Chishawasha's more advanced students. |
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We progress as individuals by doing what inspires us. We succeed as individuals by progressing to others and what inspires them.
Thank you so much for your generous support!
Greetings, Klaus Schoenwiese
We would like to express our gratitude to all our donors and contributors - including, but not limited to those linked below.
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