Female genital schistosomiasis, often referred to as the “neglected of the neglected” diseases, impacts more than 50 million women and girls across the African continent, yet it remains shrouded in silence and stigma.
SAHY RANO—a Malagasy phrase meaning “someone who is not afraid to dive into the water, even if there is a strong current”—is a tribute to the courage and resilience of women confronting this disease as they knowingly return to the very waters contaminated with the parasitic infection. Adorned in traditional Malagasy face masks, eight women stand as a collective symbol of resistance and strength. By bringing their faces to the forefront, this series seeks to challenge taboos, confront neglect, and break the silence surrounding women’s reproductive health—honoring the bravery it takes to face such powerful currents.
Artist Bios
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Miora Rajaonary
Born and raised in Madagascar, Miora Rajaonary is a photographic artist currently working and living between Mauritius and her native island. Having simultaneously become a mother and photographer, she credits her son and motherhood as her main sources of inspiration. Using photography to examine herself and the world, she strives to find answers to a wide range of questions from her own identity and cultural heritage to humans’ future on the planet.
Rajaonary is a Magnum Foundation Fellow, one of four winners of the inaugural Getty Images + Array Grant, the winner of the Juror’s Choice of the 2019 edition of THE FENCE, and a First Prize recipient in the Addis Foto Fest 2018 Portfolio Review. Her work was exhibited at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, the PhotoVogue Festival in Milan, the Arles Off Festival, The Fence, MOCADA in Brooklyn, Pen&Brush, Fondation H, Stanford University, Addis Foto Fest, and the Alliance Française Network of Southern Africa.
Organizations
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The END Fund
The END Fund is a leading collaborative philanthropic fund dedicated to ending neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that limit the lives and livelihoods of 1.65 billion people globally. Through our partners, we support country-led programs that control and eliminate intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, river blindness, trachoma, and visceral leishmaniasis.
We efficiently put private capital to work in support of NTD programs that are innovative, integrated, cost-effective, and sustainable. By facilitating strong partnerships with governments, private sector, multilateral organizations, and local program partners, we collaboratively support national disease programs that improve the well-being of communities.
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K’OLO VANONA
SAHY RANO
Featuring: Miora Rajaonary
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
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Photographer: Miora Rajaonary
Story Producers: Henry Rosenbloom & Ellie Leaning
Video Director & Producer: Yusuf Ahmed
Cinematographer: Raees Hassan
Translation & Interview Assistance: Jemima Johnson & Heninandrianina Tianarivelo (ReferenceMG)
Special Thanks:
K’olo Vanona
Ministry of Public Health of Madagascar
The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
