Rohingyatographer is a unique photography magazine led by a collective of talented Rohingya photographers based in the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The magazine serves as a creative platform for the youth to develop their photography skills and use the medium as a tool for self-expression, community development, and participatory action research. A photo voice project that aims to raise awareness about the Rohingya community and their situation, while also providing a historical record of their lives and experiences in the refugee camps.

The project was funded by Sahat Zia Hero with support from David Palazón. Sahat is a multifaceted talent—a photographer, writer, human rights activist, and David is a designer, photographer, curator and producer engaged in humanitarian contexts. They both met in 2020, while working at the Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. In 2021, they teamed up remotely to support Sahat in self-publishing his first photobook. The collaboration was a success and Sahat expressed a wish to produce a new project that could include other Rohingya photographers, and so the idea for Rohingyatographer Magazine was born.

The magazine has swiftly established itself as a cornerstone for those invested in themes like Rohingya experience, community documentary photography, visual anthropology, and human rights. It serves as an effective tool for empathy, dismantling stereotypes, and giving voice to the Rohingya youth.

The magazine's initial issue caught the eye of the Spanish Embassy in Dhaka, leading to a collaborative virtual exhibition with Casa Asia in Barcelona. Since then, UNHCR lent its support for the 2nd issue, and the project has featured in several international exhibitions, including at the Liberation War Museum in Dhaka, Sydney's Head On Photo Festival and the University of California. It has also garnered international media coverage including outllets like Aljazeera, The Guardian, Reporters Without Borders and many more. It has also received scholarly reviews including in Warwick University's Lacuna Magazine among others. 

In 2023, Sahat received two significant recognitions for his work on this project: the Prince Claus Seeds Award and the Nansen Refugee Regional Award.

Rohingyatographer currently engages with 30 photographers, each contributing unique perspectives to our storytelling endeavour. In 2023 we published our first monograph of Rohingya female photographers and was launched at the Asian University for Women in Chittagong. Our forthcoming issue will delve into the diverse world of Rohingya cuisine, from ingredients and preparation methods to the social customs surrounding food shining a light on the elements that unify the Rohingya community culturally and socially. We have a crowdfunding campaign in support of our 3rd issue, please support us, every single share and donation makes a difference. https://www.gofundme.com/rohingyatographer-magazine-3-food-for-thought