Published: 11:58 PM, 10 October 2026
Photography a powerful tool for social change: Kader Gani
Managing Director and Chief Editor of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Kader Gani Chowdhury has said a photograph is not merely a mirror of time, it is a living witness to the history and a powerful tools for social change.
"A single image can convey profound messages regarding human emotions, protest, resistance and humanity without uttering a word," he said.
The BSS Chief Editor said this while exchanging views with members of Bangladesh Photojournalists Association (BPA) at its office in Dhaka on Saturday.
Kader Gani Chowdhury said photo journalists play undeniable role in presenting the stark realities of war, famine, exploitation and the human struggle to the global audience.
He observed that photography is a monumental innovation that has transformed the perspective of looking the world.
Beyond revealing the story behind an event, a photograph can deeply stir the human psyche. Sometimes an image awakens the conscience of people, sometimes it inspires protest against injustice and sometimes it provides the motivation to move forward.
He noted that the image of the lifeless body of three-year-old Syrian child Alan Kurdi, found on a Turkish beach on September 2, 2015, shook the world. That photograph highlighting the refugee crisis and the brutality of war, compelled the global community to rethink the situation.
Similarly, a 1993 photograph capturing a vulture waiting behind a famine-stricken child in South Sudan exposed the horrors of hunger and humanitarian catastrophe for which Canadian photographer Kevin Carter won the Pulitzer Prize.
Highlighting the significant role of photography in the history of Bangladesh, he mentioned how images from the 1974 famine-such as the photograph of two women named Basanti and Durga draped in fishing nets, along with scenes depicting the plight of the starving and the desperate cry for food-stirred public sentiment both at home and abroad.
The photograph of Felani's body hanging from the barbed-wire border fence also brought the critical issues of human life and safety at the border to the world's attention.
The BSS chief editor stated that photographs are vital components of newspapers. While language conveys information and concepts, photography brings them to life.
"A camera does more than just capture a scene; a photojournalist encapsulates art, language and history within a single frame. Therefore, photojournalism cannot be viewed merely as a secondary branch of journalism," he added noted.
