News Release

December 5, 2018
Japanese Red Cross Society
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Canon Inc.

"Voice of Africa" photography exhibition to be held in Yokohama

TOKYO, December 5, 2018—The Japanese Red Cross Society, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Canon Inc. will jointly host the "Voice of Africa" photo exhibition, to be held at the Minato Mirai Gallery (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture) from December 18 to 26.

A school in Maiduguri, Nigeria

A school in Maiduguri, Nigeria

The 2017 exhibition

The 2017 exhibition

About the exhibition

Since 2015, the Red Cross and Canon have worked together to host this exhibition, which is part of the Red Cross' efforts to promote awareness of International Humanitarian Law1 and the current state of conflicts occurring throughout the world. This year's exhibition focuses on humanitarian crises in the countries of the Lake Chad region located in central and western Africa (Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Niger). The exhibition comprises 46 photographs taken by four photographers affiliated with Magnum Photos2.

Background

With the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) scheduled to take place in Yokohama City in August 2019, this exhibition hopes to shed light on the humanitarian crises in the Lake Chad region, which have not been widely reported on by media and may not be well-known among the public. This region has been heavily affected by prolonged armed conflict, political unrest and climate change, which caused 2.4 million displacements. More than 10 million people are said to be in need of support, but aid remains insufficient. In order to raise awareness of the current situation, the ICRC dispatched four Magnum Photos photographers to the region from August to December 2017—Moises Saman (Cameroon), Lorenzo Meloni (Chad), Emin Özmen (Niger) and Newsha Tavakolian (Nigeria).

  • 1International humanitarian law is a set of rules which seek, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects persons who are not or are no longer participating in the hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare.
  • 2An international cooperative of approximately 50 professional photographers and photojournalists, with offices in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo.

Event Details

Date & Time: December 18 (Tue) - December 26 (Wed)
11:00 - 19:00 (Opens at 13:00 on 12/18)
Venue: Minato Mirai Gallery
2-3-5 Minato Mirai
Nishi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa
Queen's Square Yokohama
Queen Mall 2F
Approximately 3 minutes' walk from Minatomirai Station on the Minatomirai Line
Organizers: Japanese Red Cross Society, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Canon Inc.
Partners: Magnum Photos, Kanagawa Red Cross Volunteers for International Activities, Kanagawa Red Cross Volunteers for Red Cross Youth Activities
Support: Group for recipients of the Japanese Red Cross Yuko Prize in Kanagawa
Admission: Free of charge

Additional Information

Canon Inc. support for the Red Cross

Under its corporate philosophy of "Kyosei," or the idea of all people, regardless of culture, customs, language or race, harmoniously living and working together in happiness into the future, the Canon Group has a long history of support for Red Cross activities including blood donation and educational programs. Canon supports the Red Cross' goal of promoting International Humanitarian Law and to help increase awareness of this photo exhibition and its theme, printed the 46 photos for the exhibit using its imagePROGRAF large-format inkjet printers and created display panels for each. Using the power of photography to convey messages, the company aims to help spread International Humanitarian Law, prevent needless damage and loss due to armed conflict and assist victims of conflict in regaining their independence and becoming active in their communities.

Collaboration with TICAD

This exhibition is a Yokohama Community TICAD7 Partnership Program.
TICAD is an international conference on African development launched by Japan in 1993, attended by the nations of Africa as well as partner countries that provide aid and support and such groups supporting human rights and development as international organizations, civil society and NGOs.

TICAD