IN COLORS PROJECT
How noble, by Jahid Apu
ARTICLE BY LUMICROMA
AUGUST, 2022
A bow to those who work from sun to sun. It is this nobility that portrays "The Red Queen", which earned Jahid Apu, from Bangladesh, the Public Award in the first edition of IN COLORS PROJECT.
Hiding her face was this woman's choice. By doing so, she is no longer alone in the photographer's view - she has come to symbolize all the "invisible" women who do not lower their heads in the face of the difficulties of everyday life.
In Chandpur, Bangladesh, there are fields of pepper plants as far as the eye can see. Their berries have to be picked, dried in the sun, and sorted. Many end up being ground. It is an eminently manual production process that many could not handle. Those who need it do it.
In this red sea of earth, delicate and intense, so strong that it awakens all senses, the women's task is heavy. That is why Jahid Apu has no doubt, all the women who do this work, “from dawn to dusk, are queens”.
“The Red Queen” is a collective example of humility and integrity. It raises its head by being “mistress of its own life”. It is not haughtiness, but integrity of spirit.
On the farm where the picture was taken, more than 120 women work to select the chillies that are left to dry for a week. They have to remove those that are not in good condition.
When we asked Jahid Apu if he wanted to add any information about the place, he added a fact that borders on the absurd: “Every day, these women are paid less than $1.00 (70 takas) after 10 hours of work”.
With this, it is hard not to feel ashamed. It is easy, so easy, to love “The Red Queen”.
In Chandpur, Bangladesh, there are fields of pepper plants as far as the eye can see. Their berries have to be picked, dried in the sun, and sorted. Many end up being ground. It is an eminently manual production process that many could not handle. Those who need it do it.
In this red sea of earth, delicate and intense, so strong that it awakens all senses, the women's task is heavy. That is why Jahid Apu has no doubt, all the women who do this work, “from dawn to dusk, are queens”.
“The Red Queen” is a collective example of humility and integrity. It raises its head by being “mistress of its own life”. It is not haughtiness, but integrity of spirit.
On the farm where the picture was taken, more than 120 women work to select the chillies that are left to dry for a week. They have to remove those that are not in good condition.
When we asked Jahid Apu if he wanted to add any information about the place, he added a fact that borders on the absurd: “Every day, these women are paid less than $1.00 (70 takas) after 10 hours of work”.
With this, it is hard not to feel ashamed. It is easy, so easy, to love “The Red Queen”.