Importance of Participatory Investigation and Research

This article reflects the importance of photovoice research and two projects I was involved in Bangladesh. My projects involved teaching and learning about community based problems in urban and rural Bangladesh, teaching stakeholders how to tell photo-stories and most importantly giving feedback to the local government regarding their future actions.

Though the idea is not new (Woodgate et al., 2017) recently investigative participatory evidence-based research has gained more momentum over traditional FGDs and one on one stakeholder interviews.

Photovoice is a process by which people can identify, represent and enhance their community through a specific photographic technique. It is an innovative participatory action research strategy and an empowering methodology that allows individuals to reflect upon the strengths and concerns of their community. It is also recognized as a vital tool for Community-Based Participatory Research for its accuracy in collecting information (Garziano, 1997). The photovoice technique was first formally developed by Caroline Wang and Mary Anne Burris in order to enable Chinese village women to capture their daily work and health realities.

Benefits of the concept:

• Images teach and influence: People can easily shape their concepts and differentiate what is real and what is not. It helps to see ourselves, how we define ourselves and relate to the world.  By photovoice, people not only see the actual scenario of a community, they can interpret the image in question.
• Images can influence policy: It influences our focus and our views about the world. Images can play a role to contribute or manipulate our perspective towards the world as well as ourselves, and thus it can influence policymakers and broader society of which they are a part.
• Participation of the community people: Photovoice involves the discussion of people about the images which they produce and by doing so, they interpret and give meaning to their images. When a woman tell stories about herself and her communities, we might better understand the context that the woman discuss on her life and surroundings.

In short Photovoice enables:

1. People to record and reflect their community’s strengths and concerns
2. To promote critical dialogue and knowledge about important issues through large and small group discussion through photographic evidences
3. To reach out to communities/schools/peer groups
4. The bottom-up approach takes precedence over top-down - people feel more empowered
5. Stakeholders are more eager to share their viewpoints without any adulteration
6. It removes stakeholder-interviewer bias
7. A better understanding of "Is" and "Ought" practices

Project 1: Urban PhotoVoice is an ongoing project in the slums, school and university students of Dhaka City. The goal of the project was to highlight the student's perception of sustainable urban growth in light of a clean environment, climate change and socio-economic changes.

Tawhid explaining problems of poor drainage system in his community

You can download the report here:

https://www.icccad.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Photovoice-Program-May-2017-Dhaka-ICCCAD-Report.pdf

Project 2: Rural Photovoice Flood Managment Project in Rural Bangladesh tried using Photovoice to solve conflicts between two villages regarding water supply and flood water management. The project aimed to figure out water hygiene in light of development practices, water use, water waste and failing water intervention by the local government.

Training Stakeholders regarding methods and concepts

Stakeholders writing their stories

The project also gave hands-down smart phone training to local stakeholders. The goal of the project was to train village people on how to record problems through their smart phones and how to conviene their messages to local development practioners and government.

Lessons learned:

Photovoice research definitely has some limitations but nonetheless our findings showed that in the development scenario, a more hands down appraoch with stakeholders especially in light of climate and environmental change helps better understand the emotional burden these people go through in their daily lives. Giving a platform to these stakeholders to express their understanding and feelings regarding changes and development by external entities showed us their likes,dislikes, wants and needs when thinking about interventions.

Not only that, evidence-based practices helped stakeholder resolve conflicts in a sustainable manner rather than finger pointing. These stakeholders showed that when people don't have the adequate literacy, doesn't know the jargons or language nitty-gritty of development practitioners; a platform to express their viewpoints helped resolve crisis in hand and helped better understand problems for possible future interventions.

Photovoice in Canada: Do we need participatory action in Canada? How is a developed country lagging behind in climate change action?

My personal investigation involed carrying out small interviews with the local working class people of Waterloo and their general perception about climate change. Climate change has become a buzzword and it is seen negatively rather postively amogst the general population (these doesn't include academics/students) in the current status quo and most asked me where is the evidence? And these people have every right to ask that question, if you can't see sea level rise, how can you believe that? My investigation found the following:

Some of the most common sentences I cam accross whole asking the general population were:

1. "I see a lot of snow"
2. "Climate Change is lie"
3. "If global warming is real why it is snowing so much?"

The most intersting of the conversations I had involed:

1. "I don't want to give carbon tax"
2. "I prefer the rain over snow anyday"
3. "I want more secured jobs, oil industries does that for us"
4. "The media lies to us"

And I wasn't surprised regarding the answers given the recent change in tide of events regarding climate change in the North. I have access to information and I can download data and see how weather patterns has changed over the last twenty years but these people don't have that luxery.

How photographic evedence change the general perception of people?

I believe there is a distinct gap between sharing of knowledge between experts or people who study about the environment and the general population. Introducing a photographic based investigation can shed a lot of misunderstanding and misconception about changes rather than word of mouth or the media.

How can you help if you are reading this?

Do you have pictures of your houses flooded? Do you have an elder who saw changes twenty years ago and talks about? You can take action in your community and tell the world about how you saw things change in the last ten years.

Work Cited from:

Worth a thousand word? Roberta L. Woodgate, Melanie Zurba & Pauline Tennent, 2017

Photovoice: Concept, Methodology, and Use for Participatory Needs Assessment. Caronlina Wange, 2004

Photograph Copyright: Micheal Chew,Adnan Qader ICCCAD