People, 2nd prize
Finding Freedom in the Water
Anna Boyiazis
17 October, 2016
Kazija (22) teaches young women how to kick their legs, on the water’s edge on Muyuni Beach, Zanzibar.
Traditionally, girls in the Zanzibar Archipelago have been discouraged from learning how to swim, largely due to the absence of modest swimwear. But in villages on the northern tip of Zanzibar, the Panje Project (panje translates as ‘big fish’) is providing opportunities for local women and girls to learn swimming skills in full-length swimsuits, so that they can enter the water without compromising their cultural or religious beliefs.
Anna Boyiazis
Anna Boyiazis is a documentary photographer based between Southern California and East Africa. Committed to healing and liberation, her areas of focus include human rights, publi...
Through our education programs, the World Press Photo Foundation encourages diverse accounts of the world that present stories with different perspectives.
Our exhibitions showcase stories that make people stop, feel, think and act to a worldwide audience.
Our annual contest recognizes and rewards the best in photojournalism and documentary photography.
