Xyza Cruz Bacani, a 27-year-old photographer from the Philippines, has just been selected by the Magnum Foundation as one of seven Human Rights Fellows from around the world, including Muyi Xiao, 23, from China.
“All dreams are valid!” she wrote on her Facebook page, seemingly quoting Mexican-Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o’s Oscar acceptance speech.
Bacani came to Hong Kong to work as domestic worker when she was only 19 years old. On her days off, she did what she loved: take black and white photos.
“When I’m wearing my camera I’m not a helper anymore, I’m an ordinary girl,” Bacani told CNN in an interview early this month.
“It’s a way of protection because when you’re a helper here, there is a kind of stereotyping that [people in Hong Kong] do.”
One of Bacani’s projects was to take photographs of women at the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge, a shelter for abused migrant workers.
Now, along with the uber prestigious title, she gets a scholarship to go study in an intensive six-week program at New York University in Manhattan.
There, she will “explore strategies for creating effective visual stories with the aim of advancing human rights in their home counties”.
It’s an amazing opportunity and we have no doubt the supremely talented Xyza will flourish in New York. Check out the stunning work on her Facebook page.
The Magnum Foundation is an organisation that “champions in-depth, independent documentary photography that fosters empathy, engagement, and positive social change”.
Photos: Xyza Cruz Bacani
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