Self-defense in Katanga

• Prize
  Bronze in Editorial/Environmental
• Photographer
  John T. Pedersen
• Agency / Studio
  Freelance
• Technical Info
  Leica Q2 28 mm 1/250 sec f4.0 iso 1600
• Photo Date
  02.06.2023
• Website
  http://www.johntpedersen.com

Katanga slum in Kampala, Uganda, grapples with pervasive challenges related to crime and violence. As one of the city's largest slums, Katanga is marked by overcrowded living conditions and extreme poverty. The training facility of the Katanga Boxing and Taekwon-Do Club serves as a space where those interested can learn self-defense. Women, in particular, are active in the club, aiming to acquire self-defense skills to resist the violence and threats they often face in the slum. Given their vulnerability, self-defense can empower women and potentially save them from threats.

• Biography
  John T. Pedersen (1966) is an independent photojournalist based in Norway, with a particular focus on humanitarian issues. I have worked for a number of newspapers, trade press, magazines and agencies. Affiliated with the national newspaper Dagbladet in Oslo. https://www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo/2019/37713/1/John-T-Pedersen
• Awards
  2012- Årets bilder. 3rd prize Portrait. 2019- World Press Photo Contest, Sports, Singles, 1st Prize winner. 2020- IPA - The International Photo Awards Honorable Mention. Boxing in Katanga. 2020- IPA - The International Photo Awards Honorable Mention. A gift from God. 2020- IPA - The International Photo Awards Honorable Mention. Last stop Uganda. 2020- IPA - The International Photo Awards Honorable Mention. Trampoline life. 2021- IPA - The International Photo Awards Honorable Mention. The seniors at the vaccine center. 2022- IPA - The International Photo Awards, 2nd Place in the category Event, Social Cause. 2022- IPA - The International Photo Awards Honorable Mention. Inhabitants in Katanga. 2022- IPA - The International Photo Awards Honorable Mention. Acid violence against women in Uganda. 2022- IPA - The International Photo Awards Honorable Mention. Survive in Katanga. 2022- Lens Culture Summer Open 2022 winner. 2022-Budapest International Foto Awards, 1st place in the category Events. Festival people. 2022-Budapest International Foto Awards, Gold winner in the category Editorial-Environmental. Inhabitants in Katanga. 2022-Budapest International Foto Awards, Gold winner in the category Events-Other. Festival people. 2022-Budapest International Foto Awards, Bronze winner in the category Editorial-Personality. Acid violence against women in Uganda. 2022-Budapest International Foto Awards, Bronze winner in the category Editorial-Environmental. Survive in Katanga. 2022- Life Framer, Humans of the World, 2nd prize with this image of Gloria Kankunda «I’m Not a Victim, I’m a Survivor"