Yesterday, the Kondrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University and World Press Photo launched the diploma course in photojournalism.

Their guest speaker was a Shahidul Alam, a scientist, photojournalist, and activist from Bangladesh.  When Mark Escaler introduced Dr. Alam, Mark said that the image is an argument--a vision of the world as it is or as it should be.  In other words, a photographer does not just capture images, he tells stories, he speaks for those who, in some cases, cannot speak for themselves. 

When Dr. Alam took the podium, he quoted Noam Chomsky as saying that one way to keep people passive and obedient was to limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion and to encourage debate, but only within that spectrum.  He said that the world's opinions today are shaped largely by while middle class males.  He cited the power and influence of the G8, who represent only 18% of the world's population.  He said that there was a need for what he calls the "majority world" to tell stories of their own, and by so doing expand the spectrum of debate.

It was a very intersting, compelling talk, one that made you reconsider how you regard images. 

Dr. Alam has another talk this afternoon, here in the Ateneo.  I hope it is well attended because he has many interesting things to say.