I have worked in a number of prisons and I have taught a number of workshops in my career. But I have never combined the two – teaching a workshop in a prison. Until recently.
In a unique collaboration with Young in Prison and Nikon, who provided the Coolpix cameras, I gave a workshop to 11 boys in Mzuzu prison Malawi.Mzuzu prison is located in the city of Mzuzu, in the north of Malawi. The prison was built in the early 60’s by the British, to house 50 inmates. Today the prison houses 450 prisoners - 60 of which are juveniles. “The prison authorities allowed me to work in the prison for over a week. I was able shoot stills myself, but the most important part for me was that I taught a workshop in the basic skills of photography to eleven of the kids. I understand that many of them have been condemned to unbelievably long sentences for what some people would consider minor crimes.