Blog: Race and Representation in NGO storytelling
Fighting systemic racism in humanitarian aid and development work is critical, but it will take time and pathways to lasting change are likely to be complex.
The co-chairs of the Bond People in the Pictures Group and panellists from the group’s recent webinar on racial representation in development share their views on why representation is important. Find the full webinar here or read the session notes here. During the session there were questions raised that the sector is exploring. Here the panellists, including our very own Natalie Lartey, provide some thoughts for moving forward.
Q: Development as a practice grew out of the racist "colonial era" of the nineteenth century. Don’t we have bigger issues to deal with than representation?
A: Yes, we do. Systematic racism in development is much bigger than representation. However, issues like power imbalances within partnerships, lack of people of colour in leadership roles, and biases about who holds knowledge can all be explored when we look at the racialisation of narratives in development. Identifying how racism leads to selective NGO storytelling can also increase awareness of the stories of slavery, colonialism and extractive industry that are missing from sector narratives despite being leading causes of poverty. Representation is a wedge issue in development: it is a way into the messy, meaty issues of systematic racism and white supremacy the sector must face inside our organisations, so we can then tackle it in the real world.
Q: How can an organisation get started telling more authentic stories?
A: Working closely with communities to shape and tell their stories is a great way to increase authenticity. This includes working with content creators, technical experts, photographers and videographers who understand the local context, and can pick up on nuances and provide real-time insights that can be easily missed by "an outsider". Participatory photography and user-generated content also gives people more control over the way their stories are told. Authenticity comes when communities own their stories, and solutions, from a first-person perspective. Check out our ethical guidelines for NGOs collecting and using content (images and stories) Download now
Q: Can empowering stories and photos work for fundraising?
A: One of the myths of ethical storytelling is that it doesn’t work for fundraising, particularly individual giving. Here is why that isn’t true. If you run a contributor-focused process when you gather content, you will increase the participation of those featured in your content. Your imagery and narrative might not look that different from a poor content gathering process but the people whose stories you share would have had an improved experience. When contributors co-create, content is often more human, rich with engaging details, and stereotyped narratives are reduced. You can raise money, even in modes like DRTV if you are prepared to try new things, test and learn.
Q: Occasionally colleagues (including those in the Global South) give the impression that informed consent processes or dignified storytelling is "woke" and western. How do you deal with this kind of reaction?
A: It’s entirely possible that attitudes differ between countries and roles. It can be helpful to frame consent in the context of the work of the colleague in question. Is there a consent or counselling process in some of the interventions they support? If so, ask them to consider why: the same logic likely applies to content-gathering activity. In some organisations, ethical content is built into safeguarding processes, which staff take very seriously. Explain that consent and ethical story telling measures are there to protect the wellbeing and rights of contributors. If all else fails, the fact that consent is a legal requirement is difficult to disagree with.
Q: White voice and knowledge in general terms are prioritised in development. In communications and fundraising what effect does this have and how do we manage this?
A: There has been a historic lack of racial diversity within communications and fundraising teams in our sector, which has inevitably led to privileging white and western viewpoints and perpetuating negative stereotypes of Black people and people of colour. Given the stories we tell influence public understanding of a given person, situation, community or country, it is vital we constantly work to overcome such biases – conscious or unconscious. These issues stem from the need to show the jeopardy of people’s lives, and what charities do to ‘help’. This can be tackled by closing the empathy gap, including historical context, and sharing broader storylines, rather than single elements. In addition by using a wide range of stories told in original ways we broaden understanding of issues.
An extended version of this blog was first published for the BOND website after a panel discussion on race and representation in development storytelling.