Taslima Akhter
Taslima Akhter at a Wikimedia Bangladesh event (May 2019)
Born	1974 (age 49–50) Dhaka, Bangladesh
Alma mater	Dhaka University
Occupation(s)	activist and photographer
Notable work	Final Embrace
Website	taslimaakhter.com

Taslima Akhter (born 1974) is a Bangladeshi activist and photographer. She is a graduate of Dhaka University, as well as the photography school Pathshala. She is a member of several activist organizations. While documenting the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, she took a photograph of a woman and a man who had died in each other's arms, which became emblematic of the incident.

Biography

Taslima Akhter was born in Dhaka, in Bangladesh, in 1974. ^[1] Akhter is a graduate of Dhaka University, with Master's degrees in science and in public administration. ^[2] While at the university, she was a member of the Bangladesh Student's Federation. ^[2] She went on the study photojournalism at Pathshala, ^[2] a photography school in Dhaka, which was founded by Shahidul Alam. ^[3] She tries to bring attention to social and environmental issues through her photography, driven partly by her experience during the 2008 political emergency in Bangladesh. ^[2] Akhter was among those who documented the fire at Tasreen Garments factory in 2012. ^[2] Akhter has worked on projects in several cities in Bangladesh, as well as in Nandigram in India. ^[2] Her work led to her receiving the Magnum Foundation scholarship in 2010. ^[1] Her work has been exhibited in several countries. ^[1]

Akhter is a member of the women's organization Biplobi Nari Sanghati and the leftist activist group Gana Sanghati Andolan. ^[3] She is also a coordinator of the Garments Sramik Sangathan (garment worker's union). ^{[1] [2]} In addition, she teaches at Pathshala. ^[3] Akhter's politics have an influence on her photography. ^[3]

"Final Embrace"

Following the Rana Plaza collapse in April 2013, Akhter and other photographers from Pathshala tried to document the lives of people who had died there, ^[3] while also taking part in the rescue effort. ^[2] These stories were later published as a book, titled Chobbish April: Hazaar Praner Chitkar (24 April: outcries of a thousand souls). ^[3] The publication was related to Akhter's work with the garment workers' union. ^[2] During this process, Akhter photographed a man and woman who had died in the building collapse, locked in an embrace with each other. ^[4] Akhter was unable to identify the subjects of the photograph despite much effort. ^{[5] [6]} This photograph, known variously as the "Eternal Embrace", ^[4] the "Death of A Thousand Dreams", ^[7] and the "Final Embrace", ^[8] received widespread critical attention and multiple awards, and became emblematic of the incident, in which 1100 people died. ^[4] The photograph also received widespread attention online, and led to petitions to clothing companies demanding higher minimum wages and improved safety standards. ^[4] Akhter described herself a being haunted by the photograph. ^{[4] [5]}

Awards

• Third prize for documentary photography at the Julia Margaret Cameron Award, for her documentary The Life and Struggle of Garment Workers (2010). ^[1]
• Time magazine's "Top 10 Photos of 2013" for "Final Embrace" (2013). ^{[1] [9]}
• Best Photographer Award from the 5th Dali International Photography Exhibition in China (2013). ^[1]
• Third prize for single photos in the "Spot News" category, World Press Photo competition, 2014. ^[10]

References