(DUBAI, September 11, 2024)—On September 11, 2024, interactive media artist Farjana Salhuddin featured Fortify Rights Media Fellow Azimul Hasson’s work in her “Broken Walls” installation in Qatar. The installation opened on the International Day to Protect Education from Attack and illustrates the devastating impact of war on access to education. The installation included video of a boy singing Rohingya Tarana, a traditional genre of ballad that convey themes of a lost home and the stresses of camp life, in a protest where thousands of people were gathered.
Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, a consort of former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, attended the exhibition.
On his participation, Azimul Hasson said, “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Fortify Rights and all its members, as well as Doha Debates, for the incredible opportunities I’ve had to work with them. The knowledge and experience I’ve gained through this collaboration have been instrumental in my success. Thank you once again!”
Azimul Hasson is one of three former Rohingya refugee media fellows involved in an award-winning joint initiative by Fortify Rights and Doha Debates to develop the skills and promote the work of aspiring Rohingya refugee photographers. Fortify Rights and Doha Debates provided training on conducting interviews and creating character portraits for photography and films and equipped the media fellows with hardware and access to social media platforms, enabling them to share their stories with a wider audience. On August 25, 2022, FotoEvidence, a leading publishing house dedicated to documentary photography focused on human rights and social and ecological justice, published the book A Chance to Breathe containing exclusive photography and poetry by the media fellows.