This year’s exhibit theme focuses on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal #6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Shining a Light, an annual photography contest and exhibit created to “shine a light” on gender equality issues and to empower all women and girls globally, will open at the Muhammad Ali Center on Saturday, March 5th. This year’s theme is Water, specifically global water scarcity, relating to women’s activities, health, work, and overall lives.
Shining a Light is informed by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #5 of Gender Equality and each year the exhibit highlights an additional UN Goal that illustrates “urgent calls for action” by all countries that end poverty, improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth. Clean water and sanitation is SDG #6.
Women are disproportionately affected by water scarcity, oftentimes having the primary responsibility of water collection and household management of duties, including food preparation, sanitation, and overall health. These burdens are compounded by women’s marginalization and subsequent vulnerability, hygiene needs relating to menstruation, pregnancy and childbearing, and the preclusion of education or occupations necessitated by the time required for gathering water. The Ali Center is proud to bring awareness to these issues through creative expression and cultural exploration.
This year, the Ali Center received 827 photo entries from over 55 countries. It features 35 photographs, including the following three winners (plus photos from 10 honorable mentions):
1st Place: “Drought. The Rising Tide Sons” by Antonio Aragon Renuncio from Spain (photo taken in Togo, West Africa)
2nd Place: “Bubble Worship” by Nila Nandi from India
3rd Place: “The Search” by Onyango Kevin from Kenya
The Shining a Light exhibit will be on display at the Ali Center from March 5 through August 7, 2022. Entrance to this exhibit is included in the regular admission price.