ABOUT US
Our Stories. Our Perspective. Our Voice.
WHO WE ARE
Documenting Our Lives Through Our Own Lens
The Rohingya Photographic Society brings together Rohingya visual storytellers from refugee communities and beyond. Our members document everyday life, culture, traditions, challenges, resilience, and important moments within our communities.
We believe photography is more than an image. It can preserve a memory, communicate an experience, challenge stereotypes, and give people the opportunity to tell their own stories.
Our work creates a space where Rohingya photographers can develop their skills, share their perspectives, and contribute to a growing visual record of our people.
WHY WE EXIST
Our Stories Deserve to Be Seen
For many years, stories about the Rohingya have often been documented and told by people outside our community. RPS aims to strengthen the ability of Rohingya people to document and share their own experiences.
Through photography, we want to:
- Document everyday Rohingya life and experiences.
- Preserve our culture, traditions, and memories.
- Amplify the voices of Rohingya photographers and storytellers.
- Create opportunities for young visual creators.
- Build a visual archive for future generations.
- Connect Rohingya stories with audiences around the world.
Documenting everyday life, experiences, culture, and resilience through photography.
Recording important moments, events, and stories from Rohingya communities.
Providing learning opportunities and mentoring for emerging Rohingya photographers.
Supporting young photographers, artists, and storytellers in developing their skills.
Creating opportunities for Rohingya photographers to showcase their creativity and perspectives.
Building a visual record of Rohingya life, culture, memory, and experiences for future generations.
OUR PRINCIPLES
Photography With Responsibility
We believe every photograph carries a responsibility to the people and communities it represents. We are committed to ethical, respectful, and authentic visual storytelling.
OUR VISION
We envision a future where Rohingya photographers and visual storytellers have the skills, opportunities, and platforms to document their communities and contribute their own perspectives to the global conversation.
We want future generations to be able to look back and see their history, culture, struggles, achievements, and everyday lives through photographs created by their own people.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to empower Rohingya photographers and visual creators while documenting the experiences, culture, history, and resilience of our communities.
Through photography, workshops, mentorship, competitions, exhibitions, and storytelling, we create opportunities for Rohingya voices to be seen and heard.
We value genuine stories and experiences from within the community.
We photograph people and communities with dignity, sensitivity, and respect.
We believe in creating opportunities for Rohingya creators to support and learn from one another.
We strive to represent people, events, and experiences truthfully and responsibly.
We encourage photographers to explore new ideas and perspectives through visual storytelling.
We believe today's photographs can become tomorrow's historical record.
We treat every person and community with dignity and avoid representations that exploit or dehumanize.
We seek appropriate consent when photographing people, particularly when images may be published publicly.
We aim to provide truthful context and avoid manipulating images or stories in ways that misrepresent reality.
We consider whether publishing an image could put an individual or community at risk.
We strive to tell meaningful stories without exploiting suffering for attention.
Meet Our Founder
Ro Yassin Abdumonab
Resilient Journalist & Producer Documentarian | Social Activist
Forced to flee Myanmar in 2017, I found my voice in the refugee camps of Bangladesh through the lens of a camera. Today, I am an award-winning freelance photojournalist, videographer, and humanitarian whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Reuters, BBC, The Guardian, and other international outlets.
As the founder of the Rohingya Photographic Society, I mentor young Rohingya creators and encourage them to document our shared history and experiences through their own perspectives.
Faces Behind the Lens
RPS is built by photographers, artists, storytellers, and creators who document the lives and experiences of their communities.
Mohammad Ayaz
Lokman Hakim
Ro Nur Khan
Mohammed Saad
Azim Ullah (TG Ãzîm)
Mohammed Sayad (Ro Shatu)
Ebrahim Khalil
Ro Mohammed Sadek
Your Story Matters
Whether you are a photographer, storyteller, artist, organization, or supporter, there is a place for you in our growing community.