Dimapur, Dec. 9 (EMN): A three-day state level workshop on ethnography and visual documentation was organised keeping in mind the need to educate and equip the younger generation with certain skill sets on the subject.
The workshop was held on the theme ‘Techniques of Visual Imagery’ and was organised by the department of Anthropology, Kohima Science College in Jotsoma from December 3 to the 5th, 2020.
The workshop was sponsored by the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.
‘Cultural heritage is a unique expression of human achievement and since this cultural heritage is continuously at risk, documenta¬tion is one of the principal ways available to give meaning, understanding, definition and recognition of the values of the cultural heritage. Since the advent of modern photographic technology (still and moving), the use of visual methods for anthropologi¬cal documentation and inquiry has been an integral part of the discipline,” a DIPR update read.
The workshop was aimed at acquainting the participants with theory on visual ethnography and its methods as well as the practice of filmmaking and photogra¬phy.
Dr. Lily Sema, principal of Kohima Science College (Autonomous), Jotsoma delivered the welcome address, followed by the keynote address by Dr. I Anungla Aier (Rtd) Director, Higher Education.
Dr. Aier in her keynote address stated that the ‘strength of Ethnography lies in the use of more than one method where photography, motion picture, sketches and art are used to capture the social realities of people.’
It stated that ethnography and visual documentation could collaborate actively for the better transmission of knowledge and practical solution to modern social issues.
Prof. Sibnath Deb, Director (RGNIYD), Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India delivered the inaugural address live from Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.
The resource persons for the workshop were Kivini Shohe (filmmaker), Sophy Lasuh Kesiezie (filmmaker), Kekhriezhazo Miachieo (freelance photographer and part-time filmmaker) and Thejanguzo Titus Pienyü (freelance filmmaker and storyteller).
On the third and final day of the workshop, respective group projects were screened and displayed in the last technical session. The valedictory address was delivered by Dr.Vasanthi Rajendran, Professor Training, RGNIYD, live from Tamil Nadu. She lauded Kohima Science College, Jotsoma and the Dept of Anthropology, KSCJ for successfully organising the workshop. She was very appreciative of the fact that the workshop was conducted by resource persons from the state itself, each of whom were experts in their field. The valedictory session officially ended with the vote of thanks by Dr.David Tetso, Assistant Professor , Dept. of Anthropology.
“The three-day state level workshop on ethnography and visual documentation may have been a new concept to many in the state but one cannot deny its importance and relevance in today’s modern world with so much technological advancement. The value of images in research processes is rooted in its permeated role in our imaginations, technologies, texts, and conversations and more directly in how they inform individuals’ personalities, narratives, lifestyles, cultures, and societies. In research, images inspire conversations, which at the same time may evoke the memory of experiences that are an inevitable part of the environments where we live and where we do research. Visual ethnography is a research methodology and describes photography, drawing, film, and web-based media as methods of data gathering,” it read.
