The Photo Kathmandu 2018 Award of Excellence is conferred upon Dr Shahidul Alam “for his instrumental contributions towards the development of Nepali photography and journalism.”

Dr Shahidul Alam is a pioneering Bangladeshi photographer, writer, curator, educator and activist. He is the founder of Drik Picture Library, Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography and Majority World, all groundbreaking Bangladeshi institutions.

“Dr Alam represents the highest values of truth, justice and social equality. For over two decades, individuals and institutions in the Nepali photography and journalism fraternity have had the privilege of working with him and learning from him. He has been a close colleague, mentor and friend to many in Nepal, enabling access to professional development opportunities, initiating international exchanges, and always speaking up for free speech,” a note issued by photo.circle, Photo Kathmandu organiser, states. “His visionary leadership has helped to shape the development of photography, media and cultural practices in Nepal, across South Asia and the rest of the world.”

Alam was detained by the Detective Branch of the Bangladesh police on August 5, and has been charged under Section 57 of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Act. The allegations were that, Dr Shahidul Alam, through a Facebook live video, “disseminated false, confusing and provocative statements that caused a deterioration in the law and order situation of the state, hurt the image of the state and hurt the sentiment of young students that instigated them to create social instability and engage in destructive activities.”

As of today, Alam has been in jail for 82 days. His last bail petition was deferred again and the next hearing has been scheduled for Sunday.The decision to confer this year’s Photo Kathmandu Award of Excellence to Dr Shahidul Alam was unanimously reached by the Photo Kathmandu 2018 Awards Committee that included Bikas Rauniar

(Senior Nepali photojournalist), Bikas Karki, (President of Photojournalists Club Nepal and Photo Editor of Annapurna Post) and Sagar Shrestha (President of National Forum of Photojournalists).

The third iteration of Nepal’s premier photography festival is currently ongoing in Patan and will continue until November 16.

Hitman’s new exhibit

The exhibit, Opposite Dreams: The Politics of Local, draws attention to these problematic social hierarchies and invasive international influences. It encounters these realities by highlighting the misuse of power, and state-sponsored violence, by focusing on acutely localised situations with an empathetic eye. By using an anthropological perspective and inquiring the socio-physical environments via mixed multimedia artworks, the exhibit seeks to unfold these deeply entrenched unjust principle established in a community, and entice a change in the education system and the national narration. The show is a being organised in conjunctions with Photo Kathmandu.