In this episode, I’m joined by Ximena Borrazas, a freelance Uruguayan photographer and documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on armed conflicts, migration, and humanitarian crises.

Ximena’s career has taken her to the frontlines of regions shaped by displacement and disaster. From Tigray to the Mediterranean coast, and from Ukraine to other crisis-affected areas, her lens documents war, migration, and the human consequences of political and social upheaval. While many of these places have been marked by devastation, her photography captures not only tragedy but also the resilience and lived realities of the people affected.

Our conversation centers primarily on her time in Tigray, where she witnessed the profound impacts of conflict on civilians. We speak about what she saw on the ground, the responsibility of documenting suffering, and the emotional weight of telling deeply painful stories. In particular, we reflect on the widespread conflict-related sexual violence that affected many women and girls during the war. Ximena shares how she approached these stories with sensitivity, care, and a strong commitment to preserving dignity while ensuring survivors’ voices are heard.

She also speaks about her journey into documentary photography and how working in crisis zones has shaped her both professionally and personally.

Her work has been featured and published by major international outlets including National Geographic, The Guardian, BBC, CNN, DW, France 24, The Telegraph, Associated Press, and others. https://www.borrazasph.com/about?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Ximena’s documentation of the Tigray conflict, particularly her reporting on conflict-related sexual violence and its human costs, earned her the 2024 Tom Stoddart Award for Excellence and the Gentex Corp Personal Safety Award through the Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant, both recognising her courage and commitment to humanitarian storytelling. https://www.ianparry.org/recipients/2024-ximena-borrazas?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Her work has also been exhibited by organisations such as UNESCO and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and her ongoing Tigray project titled The Scars of the War has been shown alongside global photojournalism showcases including Xposure International Photography Festival. https://xposure.net/photographer/maria-ximena-borrazas-cataldo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

This is a powerful and reflective conversation about bearing witness, ethical storytelling, and the role of photography in documenting history and amplifying voices that must not be forgotten.

Welcome to Silent Voice of Tigray Podcast :Episode 4

In this episode, host Hanna Hagos speaks with Cinzia Canneri, an Italian photojournalist with a degree in psychology. For 20 years, Cinzia worked in the social sector, focusing on mental health, before transitioning to photojournalism in 2016.

Since then, she has documented powerful stories—from asbestos victims, to the historic 2018 Eritrea-Ethiopia peace agreement, and most recently, the devastating impact of the Tigray war on women survivors.

Cinzia teaches photography in Italian high schools and is Artistic Director of Followme, a social festival in Italy featuring photography exhibitions, talks, and performances on contemporary issues.

Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Days Japan, Internazionale, and Mind. She has also earned prestigious awards, including:

#SilentVoiceOfTigray #CinziaCanneri #Photojournalism #Tigray #WomenSurvivors #Podcast #HumanRights

Hello, and welcome to the Silent Voices of Tigray podcast.  

Today, we are honored to have Mariana, a French documentary maker and investigative journalist who has spent the last five years covering Africa with the French team based in Dakar. Committed to uncovering hidden truths, her latest documentary exposes the harrowing experiences of Tigrayan survivors of mass sexual violence during the war’s siege. You can watch her documentary here: https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/120675-000-A/arte-reportage/

Her work is supported by the bravery of Meseret Hadush and Mulu Tesfaye, two women who risked everything to break the silence on weaponized rape—used as a tool of war by Ethiopian government forces, Eritrean soldiers, and Amhara Fano militia.  

This interview is conducted by Goitom, a Data Science Master’s student from London.

Hagos is one of the few firsthand witnesses who fled from Adebay to Sudan in darkness, forced to leave his family behind—a decision that reflects the extreme hardship he faced.  

He has shared his account with restraint, trying to contain his emotions as he recounts his traumatic journey and the struggles his loved ones continue to endure.

Introduction is organised by Abenet 

Short clip featuring Solomon's firsthand account of witnessing a woman's traumatic experience in Axum, where she was physically harmed with a weapon, enduring intense pain and anguish in Axum.

Warning: contains graphic and sensitive content.

Solomon is one of the few first-hand witnesses who managed to leave Tigray at the earliest stage of the deadliest Tigray War.

He has managed to share with us his first account with emotions and without reservation, taking us through his incredibly difficult journey and his witnessing atrocities and war crime in Axum and throughout his journey in Tigray and Ethiopia. 

In this episode, Aelaf interviews Melina as she shares her powerful journey—one marked by both luck and immense hardship. She recounts her experience of fleeing persecution, facing ethnic targeting, and being stranded under the siege of the Tigray war, as well as the harrowing days spent hiding in caves. Melina also reflects on the exclusion she faced from graduation programs and the isolation she endured in higher education institutions in Ethiopia because of her Tigrayan identity.

What if we knew then, what we knew today? Would it make any difference? 

Welcome to Silent Voices of Tigray. 

"Echoes of Habo": Sharing stories of courage and endurance from Tigray.