Kathmandu:

It’s time yet again for the nominations for the Yayori award 2006, but probably very few of us know anything about this award despite the fact that our own Nepali lady from Salyan has been the recipient of this award for 2005. Leaving 13 nominees behind, Usha Titikshu, a photojournalist, human rights and peace activist from Nepal, won the Yayori award last year that constituted a cash prize of approximately Rs 3 lakhs.

“I hope to use the award money to start a fund for the production of a pictorial book on women’s movements against societal, communal and systematic violence,” says Titikshu.

She was honoured with the award for committing herself to social transformation through visual media (photography and videography) especially in the rural areas of Nepal through mobile exhibitions and process documentation. She is working on a documentary film related to peace, justice, human rights and democracy in Nepal. “Though I have never felt any kind of discrimination personally, I can feel when others tell me about this. And I have seen other cases — my mother’s for example, who have suffered discrimination for being a woman.”

Japan’s Yumi Goto received the Yayori Journalist Award 2005. Based in Bangkok, she is the editor in chief of Reminders Project. She is responsible for carrying out the publicity of the works of the Yayori Award Winner of 2005, that is Tiktikshu. That is the reason why she is here in Nepal.

“I am happy to be part of carrying Titikshu’s work to another place. I do the photo and text editing for the website publication. Our production idea is to conduct a photo exhibition and publish a booklet and also put these work on the website,” says Goto.

For the project, they are interviewing 30 people from different walks of life. “I like meeting people — old or young. Through them I learn something more than I learn from a book,” she adds.

What’s Yayori award

The Women’s Human Rights Activities Award or the Yayori Award is named after Yayori Matsui, a journalist and activist who consistently spoke up for women. Yoyori fought for the rights of women all over Asia. The first female staff of Japan’s Asahi Shinbun newspaper, she died of breast cancer at the age of 70 in 2000.

The Yayori Award focuses on women activists, journalists, and artists (individuals or groups) who work at grassroots level with socially marginalised people in order to create a 21st century free from war and discrimination against women.

• Nomination deadline for 2006: June 30

• Selection announcement: August 10

• Award ceremony: December 10

The Yayori Journalist Award focuses on encouraging women journalists and artists by promoting the activities of the recipient of the Yayori Award through any form of media, such as print, visual, audio, or performance. The recipient will will receive 500,000 yen to visit and interview the Yayori Award recipient and develop a project.

Nominations begin: August 10

Nomination deadline: October 10

Selection announcement: November 10

For both awards, candidates are encouraged to self-nominate. Individuals with a nominee in mind are also free to submit recommendations for any and all appropriate candidates. (info@ajwrc.org)