After his college graduation in the United States, 23-year-old photographer Daniel Bainbridge went to the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh and documented the situation of around 18,000 Rohingya people.
The Rohingya are an ethnic minority group that has faced decades of discrimination and persecution in Myanmar. After a brutal crackdown in 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people were forced to escape Myanmar and sought temporary shelter in neighboring countries, particularly in Bangladesh. Aid organizations estimate there are at least one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’s refugee camps.
In Myanmar, the junta, which grabbed power in 2021 through a coup, has refused to recognize the Rohingya as an ethnic group, which makes it almost impossible to bring the refugees back to Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the situation in various refugee camps in Bangladesh continues to deteriorate despite the constant appeal for international aid and humanitarian intervention.
In an email interview with Global Voices, Bainbridge shared what he aimed to achieve by narrating and documenting what he witnessed in Kutupalong.
Daniel Bainbridge (DB): After learning about the situation in Kutupalong, I decided to travel there to document daily life by observing how people lived and photographing them to share with the rest of the world. I aimed to show them in a more humanistic way, rather than defining them solely by their status as refugees, so as to avoid reducing them to a single story of suffering. I hoped that by doing this, and by offering a first-person account of the issues I witnessed, I could draw attention to an urgent humanitarian crisis.
He summed up the plight of the refugees inside the camp.
(DB): The situation is bad. There were entire streets filled with garbage and alleyways that were extremely cramped. The first thing I noticed was the congestion, and the amount of people compared to the space to fit them. It seemed that there were small markets where people could buy things and some people would grow crops as well, but from what I saw there wasn’t much space for anyone to really do anything, and not nearly enough food for the amount of people (from my understanding, the people in this camp rely almost entirely on aid rations). There were many primary schools but no higher education, and since refugees are legally barred from working outside the camps, young people have virtually no career prospects. Another challenge lies in the terrain itself: shelters are fragile and built on sometimes steep, hilly ground. This makes fires and flooding, which does happen, extremely devastating.
Rohingya settlement
A view of the housing settlement inside the Kutupalong refugee camp. Photo by Daniel Bainbridge. Used with permission.
But he also experienced the warmth and hospitality of those who welcomed him into their homes inside the refugee camp.
(DB): The most memorable part of my visit was definitely my experience inside of a family’s home. I was offered food, given a perspective into the life of a family who had lost everything and still struggles with basic necessities, and experienced the hospitality of some amazing people. It was a deeply moving and emotional experience.
He reiterated the demands of the refugees.
(DB): From the people I had spoken to in the camp, one of the main demands is for better healthcare. The services provided are far from sufficient for the amount of people. Many people who resort to receiving care outside of the camp, in emergency situations, are not treated. Clean water is also a major concern, which has led to waterborne diseases. Many people travel long distances for clean water.
And a reminder of what the international community should urgently pursue.
(DB): The circumstances facing the people in Kutupalong refugee camp are politically complex, which makes finding a solution difficult. In the end, safe repatriation to their homes is the goal, but this remains extremely challenging. I think the first step is for people to recognize the problem and acknowledge these individuals as people in urgent need of help.
Finally, he wrote about the need to extend aid and solidarity to the Rohingya people.
(DB): My photography is an effort to show the beautiful side of people, how we’re all similar, and that each person should be approached with empathy and care. In this case, my goal is to humanize the Rohingya and show their faces to the world. I want people to see this and acknowledge that the Rohingya have their own values and identity, and deserve a place in the world. I think that until they are given their own home, it is our duty to help them survive through donations for food, better healthcare, clean water, and improved management of the camp’s congestion.
