For a stateless people, the image is often the only site of citizenship we possess. In the absence of a sovereign state to recognise our rights, visual representation becomes a strategic tool for political survival. Ai Weiwei’s 2021 documentary, Rohingya, emerges at the volatile intersection of high art, global humanitarianism, and the digital distribution of suffering.

The Rohingya are among the most researched peoples yet the least heard. Since 2017, much scholarship, what Nasir Uddin calls “calamity research,” frames our lives through suffering. His edited volume, Reshaping Rohingya Futures (2025), seeks to shift focus from despair to recognition of Rohingya agency, resilience, and self-determination.

The Rohingya crisis has become one of the most disheartening and complex issues. The Rohingya ethnic minority group consists of...

Abstract: This interview with the Rohingya photographer, video maker, and social activist Ro Yassin Abdumonab was conducted by Marcelo...