\ THE UNPRECEDENTED PHOTO EXHIBITION: SIMPLY SURVIVORS
Exhibition Curator: Chékéba Hachemi
An exhibition by and for Survivors of sexual violence.
Through their own images, 25 Survivors and children born of wartime rape open a window into their lives, their strength, and their resilience. An exhibition that amplifies their voices and reminds us of the urgent need to act.
“Survivors do not need compassion; they need action. They need our support and the means to keep living, learning, and working.”
Chékéba Hachemi
What do we truly know about women who have survived sexual violence?
It is a question that resonates deeply within our societies, yet too often these voices are silenced, their stories minimized or ignored. The photographic project developed by Stand Speak Rise Up! seeks to counter this invisibility and place these women back at the center of the conversation about their own experiences.
By giving disposable cameras to 25 Survivors of rape used as a weapon of war and to children born of rape, we offered them far more than simple image-capturing tools. We gave them the opportunity to express themselves, to tell their own story through their own lens. This simple yet powerful gesture encourages Survivors and children born of rape to explore their daily lives, share their truth, and bear witness to their existence with unparalleled authenticity.
Each photograph, accompanied by the author’s own words, becomes a moving testimony—a window into their inner world. Within these modest and emotional reflections lie stories of struggle, survival, but also of rebuilding and hope. They remind us of the unexpected strength that resides within every Survivor, and of the beauty that can emerge even from the darkest situations.
Through these images and narratives, Stand Speak Rise Up! offers a platform where the voices of Survivors are heard, respected, and honored, while underscoring the urgent need to act against sexual violence in conflict zones.
Countries represented in the Simply Survivors exhibition: Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Cuba, Iraq, Luxembourg, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.
Simply Survivors is an exhibition that reveals the inner strength of Survivors. Through their own eyes and words, it retraces the journey of women who fight every day to be seen, heard, and recognized.
I envisioned this exhibition as a continuation of a project I began years ago with my NGO Afghanistan Libre, titled “Simply Afghan.” Even then, the aim was to make visible those whom others sought to erase. Today, these photographs bear witness to the devastating reality of rape used as a weapon of war, but above all to the resilience of the Survivors, women who rise again, reclaim their stories, and become agents of change.
Since the creation of Stand Speak Rise Up!, we have chosen to place Survivors at the heart of all our actions. Their voices — silenced for far too long by their oppressors, must be heard. This exhibition is a space for them, but also for children born of rape, who have long been rejected and rendered invisible.
Survivors do not need compassion; they need action. They need support, and they need the means to continue living, learning, and working. They need us not to forget them. We must continue to carry their voices on this side of the world.
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