Sanne De Wilde and Benedicte Kurzen talked about their project "Land of Ibeji" at WestLicht. Schauplatz für Fotografie on October 16, as part of the World Press Photo Exhibition worldwide.
© Rachele Moriggi / WestLicht
Bénédicte Kurzen | "Violence in Nigeria" featured in MSF and exhibited in Paris
Criminal groups and extreme violence in the northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara have caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee their villages and seek shelter in the town of Anka.
© Bénédicte Kurzen / NOOR
Bénédicte Kurzen's project on violence in Nigeria is featured in Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)'s website.
From October 1st until November 2nd, her project will be exhibited in Paris. Nikon Ambassador Bénédicte Kurzen spoke about “Violence in Nigeria” on October the 5th.
NOOR Urges Action on Climate Emergency
NOOR supports the Global Climate Strike that will take place on September the 20th and encourages everyone to join the movement.
NOOR dedicates September to our Environment
For more than a decade, NOOR Authors have documented our growing climate crisis caused by fossil fuel production and material consumption along with the political forces enabling this planetary catastrophe. Through our work we have also pointed to solutions to help ensure sustainable human presence on this planet. The need for action is urgent.
As world leaders meet in New York City next month and climate actions are planned world wide, we will dedicate the month of September to sharing stories on the environment from our archive and works in progress. Please follow these stories on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
We encourage our media partners, researchers, and our community to do the same.
Sanne De Wilde & Benedicte Kurzen | West Indian Day Carnival
NOOR visual-storytellers Sanne De Wilde and Benedicte Kurzen will be in New York City for Labor Day to cover the West Indian Day Carnival. The duo won a World Press Photo award earlier this year for their collaborative visual project on twinhood in Nigeria.
Markovci, Slovenia, March 2019. Benedicte Kurzen / NOOR
Labor Day in New York City is host for the most colourful and wildest parade in the U.S. Labor Day Parade, or West Indian Day Carnival. It gathers around two million people in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on the first Monday of September.
People dress up as politicians, celebrities, or simply put on really vivid and bright costumes with feathers and crystals. The parade marches along the Eastern Parkway accompanied by the sounds of drums, whistles, reggae and calypso music, and sometimes people throw powdered paint at each other. Vendors sell some great ethnic treats and beverages along the way so that both marchers and watchers can fuel up and continue to party.
Since Trump was elected president, the interracial relationships have deteriorated to a state where most Americans (65%) – including majorities across racial and ethnic groups – say it has become more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views (Pew Research Center). Yet the Caribbean community is historically embedded in the making of New York City as a cultural melting pot.
Caribbean immigration to New York City has been prevalent since the late 1800s and the early 1900s. This immigration wave saw large numbers of people from Jamaica, Haiti Cuba, Dominican Republic Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago. Since the nineteenth century, Caribbean immigrants were counted among some of the most influential members of black American society, holding positions as religious leaders, educators, politicians, and entrepreneurs. In New York City, they contributed with their unique cultural experiences to help shape the state’s identity.
The Carnival is rooted in the 1930's initiatives by Ms. Jessie Wardell and some of her West Indian friends who started it all by staging costume parties in big, enclosed places due to the cold weather of February. Late winter is a traditional time for the pre-Lenten festivities held in most Christian countries around the world. Organizers wanted to change the indoor locations to the open air spaces to keep the true carnival spirit with parading in bright costumes to the sounds of music.
Benedicte Kurzen & Sanne De Wilde | Land of Ibeji at the 2019 World Press Photo Exhibition in Montreal, Canada
From August 28th to September 29th, the travelling exhibition of the World Press Photo Exhibition arrives to Montreal, Canada. Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen will be there for the exhibition opening where they'll showcase their project "Land of Ibeji" by NOOR, that was made possible with the Nikon European Ambassador Grant.
© Esther de Jongh
Bénédicte Kurzen & Sanne De Wilde | Land of Ibeji winners of the 2019 Voies Off Awards
The project "Land of Ibeji" by Bénédicte Kurzen & Sanne De Wilde won the 2019 Voies Off Awards. The Voies Off Festival gathers a selection of exhibitions and independent photographic initiatives that blossom in Arles every year for the Rencontres d'Arles.
© Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen
Nikon-NOOR Academy | Bulgaria Masterclass Overview
Between July 14 to July 18, 2019, the Nikon-NOOR Academy held the Masterclass at PhotoSynthesis in Sofia, Bulgaria. This masterclass launched the Nikon-NOOR Academy in 2019, which will later take place in Spain and Austria.
© Mihaela Aroyo
Participants
Fifteen young visual storytellers gathered for an inspiring four days of learning and sharing with NOOR photographers.
© Mihaela Aroyo / Jodi Hilton / Marina Byanova / Vladimir Zivojinovic
Tutors
Three NOOR visual-storytellers taught the 2019 Nikon-NOOR Academy in Bulgaria. The masterclass was moderated by NOOR Digital Director Pierre Mohamed-Petit.
Bénédicte Kurzen
Nina Berman
Kadir van Lohuizen
Do you want to be part of the long Nikon-NOOR Academy list of alumnus? Apply for our Masterclasses in Spain and Austria:
Bénédicte Kurzen & Sanne De Wilde | Land of Ibeji featured in De Volkskrant and Culture Trip
The photographic project "Land of Ibeji" by NOOR visual-storytellers Sanne De Wilde and Benedicte Kurzen was featured in De Volkskrant and Culture Trip magazine's "The Gender and Identity" Issue, which launched on 4 July. The magazine is available at Tube and train stations in London, airports, hotels, cafés and cultural hubs in London and other major UK cities.
© Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen