{
  "id": 12415355,
  "title": "Dr Iqbal Survé launches international press photo exhibition 2026",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/dr-iqbal-surve-launches-international-press-photo-exhibition-2026-12415355",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-06T16:04:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/the-star/2026-10-06-dr-iqbal-surv-launches-international-press-photo-exhibition-20262/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dr Iqbal Survé inaugurated the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest Exhibition in Durban, emphasizing photography's power to transcend borders, preserve human stories, and encourage understanding between people. This marks the first time the exhibition has been hosted in Durban.\n\nThe exhibition showcases 30 award-winning photographs by photojournalists from various countries and backgrounds. Dr Survé noted that while the photographs depict different circumstances, they all share a common theme: the human experience. He pointed out that each photograph is a record of a specific moment but also invites viewers to look more closely.\n\nIn an age of overwhelming information, Dr Survé argued that a single powerful image can communicate more than pages of text. He highlighted the importance of perspective, noting that every photograph represents a choice made by the photographer regarding their position and what they choose to capture. However, he emphasized that viewers also bring their own perspectives to an image, as different histories, cultures, and experiences shape their interpretation.\n\nDr Survé praised photography's ability to challenge the notion that there is only one way to understand an event or society, allowing audiences to encounter people and experiences that may otherwise remain distant. He also highlighted the legacy of Andrei Stenin, the Russian photojournalist whose memory the competition honors. Stenin's work exemplified the risks, responsibilities, and courage involved in documenting events as they unfold, while the competition provided an international platform for emerging photographers.\n\nThe exhibition reflects Dr Survé's commitment to international friendship and cultural exchange. He received the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Medal for Cooperation in June 2023 and has contributed to the BRICS Business Council. Dr Survé highlighted the importance of culture and the arts in strengthening relationships between countries and mentioned participating in the opening of the BRICS Universe photographic exhibition in Cape Town in 2024.\n\nReflecting on South Africa's history, Dr Survé acknowledged the support provided by the Soviet Union, China, India, and Brazil during the country's liberation struggle. He emphasized that international friendship is built through various means, including culture, education, art, ideas, and human contact. Durban's history of cultural exchange and its status as a major international port made it an appropriate setting for the exhibition.\n\nDespite an increasingly divided world, Dr Survé argued that cultural exchange can serve as an alternative way to encounter difference. He contended that art can inspire curiosity rather than suspicion and help people look beyond political categories and statistics to the individuals behind major global events. Photography, in particular, can humanize people reduced to statistics, headlines, or political categories and preserve memory, challenge stereotypes, and draw attention to traditions and experiences that might otherwise be overlooked.\n\nDr Survé paid tribute to the young photographers featured in the exhibition, reminding them that professional photojournalism involves more than simply capturing striking images. It requires observation, timing, responsibility, context, and the courage to bear witness. He encouraged visitors to engage with the photographs, not just observe them, and to consider both the photographer's perspective and their own.",
  "summary": "The power of photography to transcend borders, preserve human stories and encourage understanding between people was at the centre of Dr Iqbal Survé’s address at the opening of the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest Exhibition in Durban.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Dr Iqbal Survé Launches International Press Photo Exhibition 2026",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/dr-iqbal-surve-launches-international-press-photo-exhibition-2026",
        "published": "2026-10-06T14:38:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}