Jannatul Mawa: “Close Distance” – Powerful Portraits of Bangladesh Maids and Their Women Employers

Jannatul Mawa turned to professional photography after years of working as a social activist. Politically active since her student days and a keen advocate for the rights of women, stories she has covered range from her daughter growing up in urban Dhaka, to young Maoists in Nepal.

Bangladesh – 

Historically, domestic servants worked (only) for food and lodging in better-off homes of predominantly rural eastern Bengal. The introduction of wage labour during the British colonial period gradually led to the introduction of wages for domestic service, but even now, after twice-achieved national independence (1947, 1971), no minimum wage has been fixed by the government for those in domestic service (full time, part time), nor weekly holidays, nor working hours per day, particularly for those working full time.  There is no public discourse around this issue either.

Manservants are now rare, domestic service is largely performed by women.  Although housewives, i.e., the mistress of the home, too, perform domestic work, class distance, especially in urban, middle class homes, are insurmountable. While maidservants make the bed and dust the sofa day in and day out, they are not expected to sit or lie on them.


Jannatul-Mawa-Close

I approached urban, middle class housewives and told them that I wanted to take their portraits together with their housemaid, seated on the drawing room sofa. Through my work I want to break the `spatial’ taboo in urban middle class homes which is basically a class taboo. Although the mistress and the housemaid inhabit the same domestic space, their social and economic privileges, and their ideological worth are poles apart.

Through my work I want to explore the possibility of creating bonds of intimacy among women who, according to dominant norms, are unequal, norms which we ourselves internalise. Even though the duration of this closeness is small, and an occasion as rare as a photographer intruding, and taking photos, will not do away with class distinctions  since they are deeply embedded, I am a believer in the reformist power of photography.

I like to think that my work will help us reflect on the need to change domestic relationships, which are not `natural’ but social and historical.

Written & Photography by Jannatul Mawa 

Related Posts

Tom Hunter: Life on the Road

United Kingdom –  Life on the Road captures a remarkable moment in time, in the 1990s, when young people travelled …

Boris Eldagsen: The Poems

Germany –  Boris Eldagsen‘s Photography explore the limits of what can be depicted. The ‘POEMS’ utilise the external reality, to …

Michael Danner: Critical Mass

 Germany –  Photographer Photography feature – Michael Danner documents in his body of work Critical Mass the architecture, everyday routine, and …

EMAHO Picks the Most Interesting Photobooks of 2014

“Just like every year, more and more photobooks were published in 2014. The importance and awareness of making a photobook …

Thomas Sauvin : Silvermine

China – Silvermine is a set of five photo albums each containing 20 prints. The negatives were salvaged from a …

Asako Narahashi: Ever After

Japan –   In Narahashi’s previous photobook, ‘Half Awake and Half Asleep in the Water’, (published in 2007 by Nazraeli …

Establishment Earthquaker : Shahidul Alam

Bangladesh –  Emaho got into a free-wheeling tête-à-tête with the legendary award-winning Bangladeshi photographer, Shahidul Alam to pry beyond his …

PhotoEspaña 13 : Body. Eros and Politics.

Spain –  PhotoEspaña, one of the most important photography festivals in Europe, which has its epicentre in Madrid (exhibitions also …

Corrupt Infernos – Abir Abdullah

Bangladesh – The Alexia Foundation has announced that the winner of the 2013 Alexia Professional Grant: Abir Abdullah. The Alexia …