From 17th to 21st May, an exhibition of photographs by Masako Imaoka was held at the Center Hall in Global Village. Nearly 5000 visitors came to see images from her book Rebirth, and images recently taken in Aceh and Nias on a JOICFP organized visit.

Many visitors were deeply moved by her images, which brought home the realities of living in post-Asian tsunami affected areas.

Visitors learn about the effects of the Asian tsunami
through Imaoka's images

At the workshop hall in Global Village, around 30 people came to hear Dr. Fwasa Singogo, Executive Director, and Albertina Muloongo, Program Officer, Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia (PPAZ) talk about the siutation of mothers in Zambia. Audience members were given three photographs and in groups, asked to discuss what they could observe.

The pictures were:
1 A woman with eight children
2 A woman carrying water
3 A traditional birth attendant taking a woman by bicycle to a clinic.

Most of the audience understood the significance of the images, and after discussion, Singogo explained the harsh realities of life in Zambia, with its lack of infrastructure, services and personnel.

One member of the audience asked how to improve the low fertility rate of Japan to be more like that of Zambia. This revealed to JOICFP that more education on international cooperation needs to be carried among the public in Japan to show that women, wherever they are, need to be able to make meaningful decisions about their own fertility.

A series of mini-talks given by the African visitors proved popular,with over 500 people in total attending , and many participants said they would return to support the domestic campaign.

Muloongo talk with young visitors in the JOICFP pavilion