Belongings: felt, presented, challenged

Saiful Huq Omi was the first Bangladeshi to win the National Geographic All Roads Photography Award. In his essay on victims of political violence, Omi remembers the young man maimed by a bomb saying ‘When I had my leg I could cross the river in one go’. Photo by Saiful Huq Omi

The photograph of an LTTE sniper from Sri Lanka was taken by a woman (pseudonym Gajaani) who is a fighter herself and has been taking photographs of her war for the past 15 years. She contacted Drik – through an intermediary – because she wanted her work to be seen. Photo by Gajaani

Returning the Gaze: Tired of the representations of Iranian women by men of her own culture and by foreigners, Shadi Gadhirian decided to use images of women where she mimicked the stereotypes but incorporated subtle elements of subversion. Photo by Shadi Gadhirian

When Neo Ntsoma began a photography course in Cape Town in 1992 there were few black female photographers – fewer than 10. It was not safe for any photographer, regardless of gender or race. To be found in possession of photographic images that carried any political message was a criminal offence. She now uses photography to look at changing expressions of identity by South African youth. Fashion is not just about clothes. It is a statement about society and about dress sense. It is about cultural identity and expression. It can even be a way of resisting oppression. Photo by Neo Ntsoma

Two days before the Pakistani army surrendered on 16 December 1971, collaborators rounded up teachers, journalists, doctors, artists and other prominent citizens and killed them. This photograph by Rashid Talukder has become one of the icons of the war between Pakistan and what was to become Bangladesh. Photo by Rashid Talukder