MUNEM WASIF

When the photography exhibition Chobi Mela first launched in Dhaka in 2000, most in the region knew very little about non-western photography chiefly because of the lack of opportunity for South Asian photographers to screen their work. There was another major ambition behind the launch of the festival - in a nation where the majority of people cannot read or write, photography provided one of the few means of communicating with the average person.

Earlier this year, the fifth Chobi Mela took place in Dhaka from 30 January-20 February. It is now travelling to Kathmandu from 22-28 May at Nepal Art Council, Babar Mahal. This year's theme is freedom and the mela will feature 12 works by artists from Argentina, Bangladesh, France, Japan, the United States, the Netherlands, Nepal, Nigeria and Norway. It will also feature a number of workshops and presentations on topics such as exhibition curation, the use of photography in social activism and digital workflow.

For photographers and media professionals, the travelling festival provides an opportunity to seek inspiration, learn and enjoy a variety of styles and subjects in world class photography. For Nepalis at large it is an occasion to contemplate freedom and what it means to us.