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The Muhammad Ali Center’s fifth annual international photography contest and exhibition, Shining a Light, opens to the public on March 8th, International Women’s Day. The theme of this year’s exhibition, Experiences of Refugee Women, illustrates the innumerable issues of rights and justice that these women face every day through a prolific look at their lives before and after resettlement. The exhibit features images of women from ten refugee groups: Rohingya, Syrian, Kurdish, Sarhawi, Ahmadiyyan, Afghan, Bhutanese, Iraqi, Congolese, and Somali.

Informed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Women’s Refugee Commission, the photographic submissions were asked to depict one or more of the following issues as they pertain to Refugee Women’s lived experiences:

  1. Gender-Based Violence
  2. Livelihoods
  3. Education
  4. Rights and Justice
  5. Sexual and Reproductive Health

The Center corroborated with Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM) on the text for this exhibit to ensure that the information disseminated is accurate and effective. Inspired by Muhammad Ali’s core principles, Respect & Giving, the Center’s programming related to Global Citizenship aims to inspire to act locally and to think and behave globally. Visitors will learn how they can support refugee women, like those featured in the exhibit, in Louisville and on a global scale.

Shining a Light, featuring 35 photos, will be on display at the Ali Center from March 8 to June 24, 2018. The cost of the exhibit is included in regular admission pricing.

The Center received 75 entries from 14 countries. The photos were judged by a panel entirely made up of women in order to create a unique perspective for the exhibit.

Top entries include: “Rohingya Refugee Exodus” by KM Asad, Bangladesh; “She Never Cry” by Afriadi Hikmal, Indonesia; “An Innocent Smile of Rohingya Girl” by Sohel Parvez Hague, Bangladesh.

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