Judges
Courtesy of
Md. Zobayer Hossain Joati
BaseCamp Photojournalist of the Year
Md. Zobayer Hossain Joati
Counter Foto - A Center for Visual Arts
Dhaka
Bangladesh
Judges Choice
Md. Zobayer Hossain Joati is a Freelance Photographer and a photography student from Dhaka, Bangladesh. After finishing his Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree in Engineering, his passion for photography led him to a professional diploma in Photography from Counter Foto. His works follow Documentary and Fine Art practices that concentrate on different socio-political issues, gender equality, cultural norms, and underrepresented communities.
We Live to Fight
Country: Bangladesh, Cities: Dhaka, Chittagong
2020 - Present (Ongoing)
In Bangladesh, people practice different forms of martial arts, including the traditional forms known as “Bangladeshi martial arts.” Initially, during the British period, various Bangladeshi martial arts were originated for the need to protect villagers from Zamindars (landowners), who used to send lathial groups to collect taxes from villagers forcibly. Though martial arts had been practiced in Bangladesh since before the liberation war, the official journey began after the liberation by founding Bangladesh Judo and Karate Federation in 1972.
“We live to Fight” is an ongoing project that attempts to explore the underlying cultures, lifestyles, history, individual stories, and underground fighting scenarios of different martial art communities in Bangladesh.