PROGRAMS / PROJECTS
In addition to shooting & distributing images, Sakse and our partners run a wide range of programs and activities that teach, mentor and support emerging and established media makers in Northern Burma.
Everyday Kachin
The Everyday Kachin page was established to showcase some of the best images from Kachin, so as to open up Northern Burma aesthetically and to help inspire understanding from the international community to the plight of the Kachin peoples. As well using it as a gateway to find new talent to bring into our programs and to showcase the emerging visual art scene within the Kachin community.
www.everydaykachin.com
Let My Voice Be Heard
Let My Voice Be Heardis a participatory photography project working to empower women and youth in Kachin State who have been displace by the conflict, to share their experiences and perspectives through photography and digital story-telling.
Naw Ming Award
This Award is given every three years to a Kachin person producing outstanding media works or showing leadership in the media fields of Film, Photography, TV, Radio or Print journalism. The Winner receives a jade prize statue as well as 1,000,000 Kyat and is honored in a ceremony, receiving recognition for their work from the local and international community. A rotating panel of local nominators selects the best candidates for the prize & a jury of international judges decides the winner. The first ceremony was held in January 3rd 2017 in Laiza, the Capital of the free Kachin State.
Everyday Kachin
The Everyday Kachin page was established to showcase some of the best images from Kachin, so as to open up Northern Burma aesthetically and to help inspire understanding from the international community to the plight of the Kachin peoples. As well using it as a gateway to find new talent to bring into our programs and to showcase the emerging visual art scene within the Kachin community.
Naw Ming Award
This Award is given every three years to a Kachin person producing outstanding media works or showing leadership in the media fields of Film, Photography, TV, Radio or Print journalism. The Winner receives a jade prize statue as well as 1,000,000 Kyat and is honored in a ceremony, receiving recognition for their work from the local and international community. A rotating panel of local nominators selects the best candidates for the prize & a jury of international judges decides the winner. The first ceremony was held in January 3rd 2017 in Laiza, the Capital of the free Kachin State.
Mentoring
Yawng Htang
Mentee
grew up in Nam San Yang village, which he had to flee from civil war in 2011. See Yawng Htang's archive on Sakse
Sinwa Naung
Mentee
In addition to making media, Sinwa is also the assistant curator of Everyday Kachin and organizing photography related resources to share.
He grew up in Namsang Yang village, which he had to flee from civil war in 2011.
At Sakse, the workshops are just an introduction to the long process of becoming a full time media maker. We offer many levels of workshops to help our participants reach their goals in media, but much of the real work needed to make world class media makers happens during mentoring between or after the workshops. This is something Sakse really sees the importance of and gives a lot of resources to.
During our years spent working in Kachin we've found that workshops alone only go so far and to really get a competitive foot in the door of the media industry emerging artists need guidance on the long and difficult path to becoming an established creator. What this means in practice is our teams checks in through calls, meet ups and chats almost daily with our members and emerging talent in Northern Burma
It's just one of the reasons why Kachin Photographers have placed first place professional for best photo story in Burma, for four years in a row, despite being just 5% of the population. A support system for the long path and seemingly impossible goal of becoming a nationally, regionally or world recognized media maker is so vital to the real world success of our participants.
Our mentoring is free of charge and the mentees agree to mentor others in the future.
We accept 2 mentees per year for 2 year mentorships. This way we will have the 2nd year mentees also mentoring the 1 year mentees, in addition to our own mentors.
The mentees are given free website hosting for the 2 year period and are encourage to make their portfolio websites.
Real world examples of mentoring include
Answering questions about fair pricing and advising on media licensing agreements
Advising on grants & contests to be applying for and assisting the application process if needed.
Connecting our mentees with editors & gate keepers in the media world
Assisting in selection & sequencing of photo essays before sending to publishers
Yawng Htang's Portfolio
Sinwa's Portfolio
Burma Photo Showcase
This showcase of exhibitions and screenings gives context and faces to stories you have never heard, from a country you don’t know how to call.
As freedom of expression starts to peak its head out from 50 years of harsh censorship the visual arts scene in Burma is getting interesting
This showcase is just scratching the surface of this exciting but still risky time for photography in Burma.
produced by Sakse & DocArtsAsia
Artist in Residency Program
This program aims to bring emerging and established Kachin media makers out of their geographically isolated homeland for a three month residency with access to international advisors ready to help them with their projects. The residency program includes a space for living & working with food & transportation stipend in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
These projects are either; editing a film, writing a screenplay, editing a large body of work or creating a photo book.
Please support Sakse to realize this project, for four artists to do this residency in one year is would cost under 5,000 USD and would have a huge impact of the quality & quantity of media coming out of Kachin.
Diversity of Content Creators
Sakse recognizes that engaging with often disenfranchised groups is integral to achieving a representative media. As such we go out of our way to actively encourage and support people of marginalized groups who’s stories are often overlooked, be it women, young people, economically disadvantaged or under-represented individuals to participate in our activities and work.
Zine
Due the the huge amount of content created on our Everyday Kachin page we we’re able to launch the Everyday Kachin Zine, a small magazine in English and Burmese language, covering politics, arts and culture from both the region and the wider Kachin diaspora.
Film & Photo Festival
Moving forward, Sakse is partnering with local other organizations to lay the ground work now for a Film / Photo festival in Kachin State.
One day of programing for locally / regionally made films and one day of international programing.
We will use the festival as a platform to host workshops and present our, Naw Ming Memorial Media Leadership Award.
Portions of this festival can travel and be shown in cities, villages and refugee camps.
We hope to have this project launched by end of 2020 or early 2021.
Help us make this festival a reality.