Fighting for a Kachin Nation

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

Myanmar | Monday, January 14, 2013 | flickr photos

My name is Sitthixay Ditthavong and my first love is visual story-telling. Much of my recent work has focused on raising awareness of breaches of social justice. In 2012, I took the time to personally interview and produce environmental portraits of land grab victims in Cambodia to give them a voice. The images I've submitted here are part of an ongoing series of a people under siege in northern Myanmar.

I am completing a Masters degree in Photography, and last year secured a global internship with the Associated Press, an Artist in Residence term at Documentary Arts Asia, and was a finalist for the coveted Photocrati Fund.

Although the chance to sustain myself as a working photographer has eluded me thus far, I take solace from a mentor who told me that one cannot underestimate the importance of persistence and tenacity in this field. So I continue to learn from every opportunity I can, work on my craft, meet new people, read and test new ideas. Despite receiving little remuneration for my photography, I feel fortunate to be making new images and friends, and know that my experiences all help me continually improve as a story-teller and a human.