„The Children of Ningxia“ – Photo Exhibition on Life in a Poor Chinese Province

"The Children of Ningxia" photo exhibition and lectures series will open May 16 in the Bremen Übersee Museum and run until June 29. The exhibition is a joint cooperation between Jacobs University and Enfants du Ningxia.

[ May 13, 2008]  The exhibition documents life in Ningxia, a poor province in the northwest of China which is plaqued by a number of problems such as ecological degradation, minority issues and a lack of education. The exhibition is based on part on the fascinating diary of Ma Yan, a school girl living in the area. The 13 year old Ma wrote about her family's daily struggle against poverty and her own wish to receive education in order to escape poor living conditions.

The diary was published in France in 2001 by the photographer, Pierre Haski, a former Beijing correspondent and co-editor of the “Libération”. The book resulted in the creation of the organisation „Enfants du Ningxia“, which works to support the education of underpriviledged children in Ningxia province. The photos that make up the exhibit document Ma Yan and life in her village.

The exhibition is accompanied by a lecture series that covers central aspects of the Chinese reality. In addition to Prof. Dr. Wiebke Ahrndt, Director of the museum, and the photographer Pierre Haski, Jacobs University's Prof. Dr. Nicola Spakowski, History Professor and Sinologist, will speak at the exhibition's opening.

Further information, as well as an exihibition program, can be found on the museum's website: www.uebersee-museum.de/Die_Kinder_von_Ningxia.html

The exhibition and lecture series are supported by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Bremen, the Asienhaus Essen and Bremen Marketing.