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See Voices from
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“Record what is important to you.” Five years ago, with that directive and ongoing guidance from Nature Conservancy facilitators, some 200 men and women in the remote northwest corner of China’s Yunnan Province began photographing their daily lives — their landscapes, livelihoods, families and friends. Most had never used a camera; some had never seen a photograph.
These self-documenting villagers play an integral role in the Yunnan Great Rivers Project, a joint effort of the Conservancy and the provincial and central governments of China to establish a landmark system of protected natural areas in a region the size of West Virginia — and to do so in a manner that promotes economic well-being and preservation of the region’s diverse cultural heritage. Equipping villagers with point-and-shoot cameras was a way to begin a dialogue with these rural communities and better understand how they interact with their natural environment.
The project, called Photovoice and supported with an initial grant from the Ford Foundation, opened that dialogue and much more. The photographs have spurred spirited discussions among villagers about the fate of their traditions and natural resources. They have also prompted invaluable discussions with scientists and planners, who need to understand indigenous knowledge and the social context in which conservation can succeed. These images document a place and time that is dynamic, for better or worse. The change that is sweeping urban China in the wake of unbridled economic development is affecting the nation’s most remote outposts as well. Satellite dishes now exist in even the poorest villages; fiber-optic cable has been laid across the province; tourists arrive by the thousands.
What will be gained — and sacrificed — in the name of “progress”? What will the people of Yunnan choose to hold on to? Which rivers will be dammed for the nation’s burgeoning power needs, and which will continue to run wild? Which cultural traditions will fade; which will survive and flourish?
Highlights from the more than 50,000 photographs collected by Photovoice are featured in the exhibit Voices from the South of the Clouds, on display at Frontier Cafe, Cinema & Gallery in Brunswick, Maine, August 1 through September 7. The exhibition is the centerpiece of “China… Go Beyond,” Frontier’s month-long celebration of Chinese culture, which also includes theatrical screenings of Chinese films and select Olympic events. Visit explorefrontier.com for a complete schedule.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Hong Zhengyou (Xuehua Village); Photo (Energy).
