Press Release

A presentation by Jajong Nokrek, Indigenous Community Grant Winner 2025

‘A'bima: A Story of Forest, People, and Existence'

A presentation titled ‘A’bima: A Story of Forest, People, and Existence’ by photographer Jajong Nokrek, recipient of the Indigenous Community Grant 2025, was hosted by Drik Picture Library earlier this evening at DrikPath Bhobon. The event formed part of the Bangladesh Press Photo Exhibition 2026, currently underway at the same venue.

In the presentation, Jajong Nokrek discussed his work which revolves around the Garo people, who identify themselves as Mandi, a word that simply means “human.” According to their belief, all forms of life, humans, forests, animals, and the natural world, were born from the womb of Mother Earth, Baguba Borombi. This belief forms the foundation of the Mandi people’s spiritual and cultural relationship with the forest and the living world.

His photographs portray the southwestern region of the Brahmaputra River in present-day Bangladesh as A’bima, meaning Earth Mother. For the Mandi community living in the sal forests of Madhupur, the forest has never been merely a natural resource; it is a source of food, the basis of agriculture, a repository of medicinal knowledge, a place of spiritual refuge, and the keeper of cultural memory. Across generations, the forest has shaped their way of life, beliefs, festivals, songs, and oral traditions.

He also reveals how this long history of coexistence now faces a profound crisis. Deforestation, the expansion of monoculture rubber plantations, land dispossession, so-called development projects, and changes in state forest management are not only shrinking the forest itself but also eroding an entire Indigenous system of knowledge, language, ritual, and a distinctive way of understanding the world. Ultimately, as he discusses, this is not only the story of the Mandi people; it invites us to rethink the deep-rooted relationship between people, forests, and the land. It confronts us with a fundamental question: when a forest disappears, do we lose only the trees, or do we also lose the memory, knowledge, and an entirely different way of seeing the world carried by a people?

Through the Indigenous Community Grant, Mr. Nokrek received financial support, a year-long mentorship from experienced visual storytellers, and the opportunity to present his work at the ongoing exhibition. The presentation was open to the public. Before the presentation began, photographer and activist Shahidul Alam, founder of Drik, and Habibul Haque, Senior Photographer at Drik and mentor for the grant programme, spoke about the grant and the mentorship process.

In the year 2023, Bangladesh Press Photo Contest (BPPC) introduced the Indigenous Community Grant under the programme titled 'Photojournalism in the Margins' for photographers from the Bangladeshi Indigenous communities all around the country to encourage and support marginalised groups' participation in photojournalism.

Jajong Nokrek, from Madhupur in Tangail, is the third Indigenous Community Grant winner under the Bangladesh Press Photo Contest (BPPC). Photographs from his grant project are also on display in the ongoing exhibition. This year’s Indigenous Community Grant 2026 winner is Mong Hai Shing Marma from Bandarban, announced last Friday evening at the opening ceremony of the Bangladesh Press Photo Exhibition 2026.

The Bangladesh Press Photo Exhibition 2026 celebrates and honours the work of press photographers on Bangladesh’s frontlines. Featuring 32 selected images from the 5th edition of the Bangladesh Press Photo Contest, initiated by Drik in 2022, the exhibition is open to the public every day from 3 pm to 8 pm until August 12, 2026.

Bengali Press Release: 20260802_ Press Release_ BPPC Presentation ICG_ BNG.pdf

More photos: 20260802_ Photos_ ICG Presentation 2026_ SKP

Photo Credit: Suman Kanti Paul/Drik

For further information, please contact:

Amina Neyamat

Equality, Diversity and Communications Officer

Mobile: +8801786502671

Email: amina@drik.net

Parvez Ahmad Rony

Coordinator, Bangladesh Press Photo Contest 2026

Mobile: +8801737758800

Email: parvez@drik.net

Published: August 2, 2926