By: Catherine Brahic
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A travelling photography exhibition devoted to science in developing countries opened in Paris, France, on Monday (11 October). The exhibition, entitled ‘Sciences au Sud’ (‘Science in the South’) focuses on French research efforts in the global South using images taken by scientists in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The collection is ‘nomadic’, and after the Paris exhibition ends on 15 November, the photographs will be exhibited around the world. A spokesperson for the French Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), which put the collection together, told SciDev.Net that the organisers hope the photographs will first go to west Africa, although details have yet to be confirmed. The photographs are displayed in four large tents, each focusing on a different research theme. The second tent is called ‘Healing’ and explores themes such as mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS and the cause and effect relationship between malnutrition and poverty. In the ‘Preventing’ section, images focus on natural catastrophes, the role of El Niño in climate change and how to coordinate an efficient fight against soil erosion, as well as other questions about preventing the degradation of our natural environment. Finally, ‘Living together’ explores questions of South to North migration, the demographic effects of HIV/AIDS, education, and the difficulties of living in cities. |
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Marie-Lise Sabrié, of IRD, told SciDev.Net that the exhibition was designed for a wide audience in developing nations. “We want to help reduce the knowledge gap between the North and South to return knowledge to the countries where this research is undertaken,” says Sabrié. The exhibition aims to strike a balance between displaying images that are visually appealing and those focusing exclusively on the hardships of living in developing nations. “We wanted to show realistic images,” says Sabrié. “Ones that are heavy with meaning without being excessively aesthetic or excessively miserable. This middle-ground is difficult to achieve.” |
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