Taslima Akhter

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Taslima Akhter
Taslima Akhter.jpg
Taslima Akhter at a Wikimedia Bangladesh event (May 2019)
Born1974 (age 47–48)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Alma mater Dhaka University
Occupationactivist and photographer
Notable work Final Embrace
Website taslimaakhter.com

Taslima Akhter (born 1974) is a Bangladeshi activist and photographer. She is a graduate of Dhaka University, as well as the photography school Pathshala. She is a member of several activist organizations. While documenting the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, she took a photograph of a woman and a man who had died in each other's arms, which became emblematic of the incident.

Contents

Biography

Taslima Akhter was born in Dhaka, in Bangladesh, in 1974. [1] Akhter is a graduate of Dhaka University, with Master's degrees in science and in public administration. [2] While at the university, she was a member of the Bangladesh Student's Federation. [2] She went on the study photojournalism at Pathshala, [2] a photography school in Dhaka, which was founded by Shahidul Alam. [3] She tries to bring attention to social and environmental issues through her photography, driven partly by her experience during the 2008 political emergency in Bangladesh. [2] Akhter was among those who documented the fire at Tasreen Garments factory in 2012. [2] Akhter has worked on projects in several cities in Bangladesh, as well as in Nandigram in India. [2] Her work led to her receiving the Magnum Foundation scholarship in 2010. [1] Her work has been exhibited in several countries. [1]

Akhter is a member of the women's organization Biplobi Nari Sanghati and the leftist activist group Gana Sanghati Andolan. [3] She is also a coordinator of the Garments Sramik Sangathan (garment worker's union). [1] [2] In addition, she teaches at Pathshala. [3] Akhter's politics have an influence on her photography. [3]

"Final Embrace"

Following the Rana Plaza collapse in April 2013, Akhter and other photographers from Pathshala tried to document the lives of people who had died there, [3] while also taking part in the rescue effort. [2] These stories were later published as a book, titled Chobbish April: Hazaar Praner Chitkar (24 April: outcries of a thousand souls). [3] The publication was related to Akhter's work with the garment workers' union. [2] During this process, Akhter photographed a man and woman who had died in the building collapse, locked in an embrace with each other. [4] Akhter was unable to identify the subjects of the photograph despite much effort. [5] [6] This photograph, known variously as the "Eternal Embrace", [4] the "Death of A Thousand Dreams", [7] and the "Final Embrace", [8] received widespread critical attention and multiple awards, and became emblematic of the incident, in which 1100 people died. [4] The photograph also received widespread attention online, and led to petitions to clothing companies demanding higher minimum wages and improved safety standards. [4] Akhter described herself a being haunted by the photograph. [4] [5]

Awards

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Taslima Akhter". World Press Photo. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hossain, Anika (23 August 2014). "Activism Through Photography". dailystar.net. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Prashad, Vijay (12 October 2015). "Workers' yarns". Himal magazine.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Roy, Sourav (31 May 2013). "Why the 'Eternal Embrace' Photograph From Bangladesh Haunts Its Photographer the Most". Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Haunting Dhaka disaster picture: A last embrace after clothes factor collapse that killed 950". Mirror.co.uk. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  6. ↑ Pollack, Kira (2 December 2013). "TIME Picks the Top 10 Photos of 2013". Time magazine. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Photography Oxford festival 2014". The Guardian. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "Rana Plaza images win World Press Photo". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  9. ↑ Kira Pollack, "TIME Picks the Top 10 Photos of 2013" Time (magazine), Accessed 16 November 2016
  10. ↑ "2014 Photo Contest". World Press Photo. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
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