The holidays are almost upon us, so it's time to look back on 2013 at PROOF.
It has been an amazing year for us at PROOF. For the first time, The Legacy of Rape project made it out into the world as an exhibition - two exhibitions, actually. The first was a smaller-scale exhibit that has been traveling around the Democratic Republic of Congo with the American Bar Association. If you want to find out more about what the ABA has been doing in the DRC, you can by clicking here.
The Legacy of Rape has also been part of the Missing Peace Symposium at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C, before traveling over the Geneva to be part of the 11th International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights.
Picturing Moral Courage: The Rescuers has also been on the road throughout the year, traveling to 18 Balkan cities and rural areas around Cambodia. Our local partners, PCRC in BiH and Youth for Peace in Cambodia, have been doing an amazing job with organizing workshops and community activities wherever the exhibitions have traveled.
The Rescuers is also due to open soon at the Holocaust Museum in Houston. This exhibition will be larger and include more stories of the courageous people who saved lives during times of genocide than any other we've had before. If you can get to Houston while it's on, we recommend you do!
Also on the agenda for next year is a large scale Legacy of Rape exhibition for Colombia, as well as the development of an education program for schools that examines moral courage in all situations of life.
On a personal note, it has been 5 years since I began designing for PROOF, and in that time, it has evolved into a role that is all-consuming and an absolute privilege for me to undertake. Every day I feel the responsibility of carrying the words of all of the people who have told their stories to us, and it's my aim to carry them gently, with respect, and with dignity to the world, and hope that the world responds by recognizing that we need to protect each other. Always.
We hope that you can join us again next year. Your support has been so invaluable to us as we push for change through bringing important stories to the world stage. Have a wonderful holiday season. See you in 2014!
– Willhemina Wahlin
Creative Director, PROOF: Media for Social Justice
A workshop being run by our local partner in Cambodia, Youth for Peace, in 2013.
Opening of The Rescuers exhibition in Mostar, 2013. Photo: Ernest J.