4 Rohingya photographers win UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award 2023

Four Rohingya photographers have won the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award 2023 for capturing the stories of Rohingyas from Myanmar.

They are Abdullah Habib, 29, Sahat Zia Hero, 29, Salim Khan, 31, and Shahida Win, 27, from the Rohingya community.

The award recognises those who exceed expectations in safeguarding refugees, displaced individuals, and stateless people.

In 2021, Abdullah embraced professional storytelling through photography, earning recognition in the 2021 Rohingya photo contest and the 2022 international minority contest.

Photo: Shahida Win

"After coming to the refugee camp of Kutupalong in 2017, I thought to portray the unbearable lifestyle of the Rohingya community and the miserable situation of their camps by photography," he said.

"I encountered a woman who has been displaced thrice. She was all alone and had nothing. When I talked with her, tears came down her cheeks."

Photographer Salim's parents came to Bangladesh in 1992 from Myanmar. He was born in 1993 near Kutupalong camp where he lives now.

Photo: Sahat Zia Hero

He said, "When I became 18, I started to realise the harsh life of refugees, which encouraged me to do something for my community."Zia shared, "I completed only my 2nd year of university. Then the government banned our education in Myanmar and I dropped out. I was a part time photographer then."

Since 2014, he has engaged in photography, initially as a volunteer photographer at the camp. Balancing humanitarian work with photography, he sustains his livelihood through these pursuits.

Shahida used to write poems Burmese language to express her emotions.

Photo: Abdullah Habib

"Observing male photographers, I wanted to be an idol of female photographers who can contribute and be a community changemaker,"she said.

Since 2018, she has pursued her passion for photography while occasionally working as a researcher and volunteering at consultancy centres.