Photo workshops in Bolivia
Two photography workshops were conducted in Bolivia. One in the city of Santa Cruz, and the other in Llallagua, a town close to the famous silver-mining city of Potosí.
In both workshops, the participating children and assistants belonged to a child worker’s movement group.
The workshops were conducted over five days, during which the young photographers took pictures of their city, home, family, friends and work place.
Llallagua
The workshop in Llallagua was run by Save the Children Spain in Bolivia, with the support of Naira Cine, a visual arts organization and of the educator of the Local Child and Adolescent Workers Movement (MOLDNAT’S). Nineteen children and adolescents, ranging from ten to sixteen years of age, took part. These children mainly work as general helpers in stores or in markets, in domestic service or as shoe shiners or sellers.
The children showed sensitivity towards other people’s difficult situations. For example, those people who emigrate from the rural areas to the city seeking a better life, people addicted to alcohol, children who lack their parents’ love, or difficult life conditions that child workers face.
“When I took this picture the girl was cold, her face seemed sad. She sells socks. It was almost six in the afternoon. When I approached her to ask her what her parents did for a living, she answered that her father had died and her mother was working in the mine”. Rocio, 14 years old.
The workshop not only helped the participants to reflect and express issues important to them, thereby allowing us learn more about the life and experiences of child workers, but it also had an effect on the coordinators. After the workshop a staff member from Save the Children commented: “I finished the workshop with a strong emotional load. The things I have seen and lived have been very profound and incredible”.
Besides taking pictures and discussing them, the young people also participated in creative activities, for example, describing their daily routine or writing a letter to an ‘imaginary twin’ who lives in Europe, sharing what their life is like and why they work.
Santa Cruz
The workshop in Santa Cruz was coordinated by the Child and Adolescent Worker Movement of Santa Cruz and supported by PRONATS child workers’ organization. A total of twenty children and adolescents, ages ranging from nine to sixteen years of age, participated in the workshop. The children and adolescents came from four different working sectors: pushing wheelbarrows, cleaning cars, and selling sweets and other products.
In this workshop, some strong themes that arose were the participants’ sensitivity towards contamination issues, the different contrasts between the past and present that they see in their city, an awareness of other people’s needs and an understanding of the responsibility they each have to make Santa Cruz a better place.
During evaluation participants discussed the importance that the workshop had in consolidating their child worker movement and groups. Eye to Eye photographer Rudy Figueroa (16 years old) said, “I think one thing that needs to be highlighted is that my colleagues and I have felt that we have shared as a family. We have laughed, listened and given everyone the opportunity to participate, happy moments, sad moments, upsets and even shouting. That is what I liked the most. I have seen a different aspect to photography, which goes beyond the one that most people know.”
A month after the workshops, an exhibition in Bolivia took place in order to raise awareness amongst the general public about child workers’ lives and their perspective on issues that affect society in general. The exhibition included the photographs, drawings and displays created by the children and adolescents.
This project is funded by the European Union