Robyne Haye’s was a highly unique and inspirational activist/photographer. One thing I found interesting about her was that she wasn’t your ‘stereotypical writer’ she was telling stories through photography. I found it interesting how Robyne Hayes was using her passion for photography to bring light to this serious issue, Child Marriages.
She mentioned that photography spoke to people on a greater level as they could see a visual representation of what was happening across the world. She also mentioned that she chose her photos very carefully, saying that, poverty is often looked at as sad people, however just because you don’t have a lot doesn’t mean you aren’t happy. This was a very interesting point to me. Besides from the literal meaning, I found it interesting how media often manipulate our perception of reality. When thinking of poverty we often think of sad children living in slums due to photography and film. While this is true to some degree, people living in poverty are also happy, they enjoy life.
Nonetheless, Robyne Hayes brought up some very important points on Child Marriages. One project she conducted was giving cameras to young girls who have married much older men. The pictures they took spoke millions. She stated that the Girls got to talk about their lives through the photos, which they don’t often get to do. Being able to talk is something we take for granted. We never really stop and think about the small stuff that we have, the fact that we get to go outside, have friends and even just talk about our opinions are things that many kids especially girls aren’t allowed to do around the world.
