2nd place
silver star award
Marinka Masséus
netherlands
title
Under the Same Sun
In Tanzania, when you have albinism, you are thought to be evil. There even is a price on the head of children with albinism since killing a person with albinism is considered to bring good luck. The fears and superstitions surrounding albinism run very deep in Tanzanian society. So deep that many women who give birth to a child with albinism are told to kill the baby at birth. If she refuses, she and the baby will become outcasts.
Many children with albinism are denied fundamental human rights. They are despised and taught that they are evil. They live in constant fear of brutal attacks.
Many of those who have been attacked are young children. In December of 2014, a 4 year-old girl with albinism named Pendo Emmanuelle, was taken from her mother’s arms. Police have yet to find her body. In February 2015, Yohana Bahati, a boy of just 18 months, was taken from his home, his mother’s face slashed with machetes as she tried to protect her son. She narrowly survived. Days later, little Yohana’s body was recovered from a forest, where he was found face down in the mud with his arms and legs hacked off.
Because of killings like this, many children with albinism now live in camps. Rejected by and cut-off from their families, they live separate from society in order to keep them safe. In some of the camps the living circumstances are horrible, with even basic care lacking. They are secluded, kept apart, hidden, often mistreated and shamed. That’s why the mission of the Josephat Torner Foundation is social acceptance and inclusion.
Marinka’s photography revolves around people and is a constant reflection of her passion and fascination for human nature and the way we live our lives.
Marinka's acclaim includes IPA Photographer of the Year 2016 - 2x Silver winner Px3 'Prix de la Photographie Paris' 2016 - Bronze winner Px3 2016 - Px3 Exhibition in Paris - Week instagram takeover, Swedish Museum of Photography - 1st place Monochrome Photography Awards - 2x winner 2nd place MIFA "Moscow International Foto Awards" 2015 - 2nd place BW SpiderAwards - Merit of Excellence - "IPA Best of Show Exhibition" New York - 2x winner 2nd place IPA "International Photography Awards" 2015 - 2x Editors'Pick at lensCulture - Gold winner at Px3 "Prix de la Photographie Paris" 2015 - 3x Silver and 1x Bronze winner at Px3 "Prix de la Photographie Paris" 2015 - Exhibition at WM Gallery, Amsterdam - Photoville 2015 New York - International Photo Festival Leiden 2015 - 1st place International Color Awards - Outstanding Achievement - Featured at the Royal Geographical Society in London - TPOTY 'Travel Photographer of the Year' 2014 - IPA 2014 'International Photography Awards' 2nd place 'Advertising, Beauty' - Linden Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, book and exhibition about Myanmar, Oct 2014 - May 2015 - GUP New Dutch Talent 2014 - Multiple Honorable Mentions at Px3 Prix de la Photography Paris, IPA, and Color Awards - Represented by Getty Images
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entry description
This series was created in collaboration with the Josephat Torner Foundation to raise awareness about the circumstances of people with albinism living in Africa, specifically Tanzania.In Tanzania, when you have albinism, you are thought to be evil. There even is a price on the head of children with albinism since killing a person with albinism is considered to bring good luck. The fears and superstitions surrounding albinism run very deep in Tanzanian society. So deep that many women who give birth to a child with albinism are told to kill the baby at birth. If she refuses, she and the baby will become outcasts.
Many children with albinism are denied fundamental human rights. They are despised and taught that they are evil. They live in constant fear of brutal attacks.
Many of those who have been attacked are young children. In December of 2014, a 4 year-old girl with albinism named Pendo Emmanuelle, was taken from her mother’s arms. Police have yet to find her body. In February 2015, Yohana Bahati, a boy of just 18 months, was taken from his home, his mother’s face slashed with machetes as she tried to protect her son. She narrowly survived. Days later, little Yohana’s body was recovered from a forest, where he was found face down in the mud with his arms and legs hacked off.
Because of killings like this, many children with albinism now live in camps. Rejected by and cut-off from their families, they live separate from society in order to keep them safe. In some of the camps the living circumstances are horrible, with even basic care lacking. They are secluded, kept apart, hidden, often mistreated and shamed. That’s why the mission of the Josephat Torner Foundation is social acceptance and inclusion.
about the photographer
After finishing her MBA, Marinka's studies in Buddhist Psychology guided her philosophical journey and the Photo Academy in Amsterdam stimulated her to channel her concepts and feelings into images.Marinka’s photography revolves around people and is a constant reflection of her passion and fascination for human nature and the way we live our lives.
Marinka's acclaim includes IPA Photographer of the Year 2016 - 2x Silver winner Px3 'Prix de la Photographie Paris' 2016 - Bronze winner Px3 2016 - Px3 Exhibition in Paris - Week instagram takeover, Swedish Museum of Photography - 1st place Monochrome Photography Awards - 2x winner 2nd place MIFA "Moscow International Foto Awards" 2015 - 2nd place BW SpiderAwards - Merit of Excellence - "IPA Best of Show Exhibition" New York - 2x winner 2nd place IPA "International Photography Awards" 2015 - 2x Editors'Pick at lensCulture - Gold winner at Px3 "Prix de la Photographie Paris" 2015 - 3x Silver and 1x Bronze winner at Px3 "Prix de la Photographie Paris" 2015 - Exhibition at WM Gallery, Amsterdam - Photoville 2015 New York - International Photo Festival Leiden 2015 - 1st place International Color Awards - Outstanding Achievement - Featured at the Royal Geographical Society in London - TPOTY 'Travel Photographer of the Year' 2014 - IPA 2014 'International Photography Awards' 2nd place 'Advertising, Beauty' - Linden Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, book and exhibition about Myanmar, Oct 2014 - May 2015 - GUP New Dutch Talent 2014 - Multiple Honorable Mentions at Px3 Prix de la Photography Paris, IPA, and Color Awards - Represented by Getty Images
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