Silent Yangon: A Book of Vibrant Images Taken by Deaf Children

Samsung Electronics Myanmar collaborated with professional photographer Francesa Moscheni and Link for Aid, an Italian charity organization, and three other companies in Myanmar to create a book that will capture the essence of Yangon, one of Asia’s most alluring and vibrant cities, seen through the eyes of deaf children.

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Deaf children were encouraged to unleash their creativity, making full use of their heightened sensitivity to all things visual

Enabling and Encouraging Visual Communication

“With this book, we want to show that the visual language of images can communicate and generate emotions as well as, or even better than, spoken words,” said Pamela McCourt Francescone, founder of Link for Aid. “To do this, we asked eight deaf children to reveal their hidden potential and talents through photography. It was an exciting challenge, both personally and professionally, as photography is a new medium for them.”

The boys and girls, ages 12 to 15, from the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf were equipped with Samsung smartphones and encouraged to unleash their heightened sensitivity to all things visual. They spent Easter Week (April 1-7) taking photos around the city.

Children from the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf roamed Yangon, capturing the city’s various faces on Samsung devices

Italian photographer Francesca Moscheni, who also gave the children daily photography lessons, led the shoot. The team went to famous places like Shwedagon Pagoda and Bogyoke Market as well as to places that reflect the real lifestyle of Yangon dwellers and their daily routine of urban commuters.

“The lessons were designed to stimulate the children to look at the world with a new vision. I wanted to leave them as free as possible to discover the reality of what they are seeing, and to take photos of Yangon from many different perspectives,” said Francesca Moscheni.

<Silent Yangon> to Highlight the Children’s Interpretation of the City

The book, with texts and color photographs, will be published and available for sale this fall, according to Link for Aid. Proceeds from <Silent Yangon> will be donated to support hearing-impaired children in the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf in Yangon, the Parami Orphanage in Dala and the Nawarat Monastic School in Shwe Pyi Thar.

Along with the book, Filmmaker Marco Armando Piccinini accompanied the group to record the children’s week on video. He plans to submit his work to documentary film festivals around the world. Both of the book and documentary will be part of Link for Aid’s project “The Sound of Images.”

“We gave this opportunity to eight children who are particularly gifted in art and have won prizes for it,” said Daw Nyunt Nyunt Thein, Principal of the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf in Dagon Township. “Link for Aid has been a valued sponsor of training projects for our students for some time now, and we are delighted to be part of this photography project.”

Keeping in Touch with the Community

For this project, Samsung Electronics Myanmar provided the children with smartphones and a training course at its Yangon office. Also, 10 Samsung technicians accompanied the children and provided technical support during Easter Week.

Samsung employees provided technical support throughout the project

“As a brand that cares about the communities it’s involved in, we are much pleased and excited to see these photos. I am sure, when the book comes out, everyone will enjoy it as it will tell you how the city of Yangon looks like in different perspectives – through the eyes of these young, talented artists,” said Soe Thura, Public Relations and Citizenship Manager at Samsung Electronics Myanmar.

Reported by Soe Thura, Public Relations and Citizenship Manager, Samsung Electronics Myanmar; edited by Samsung Newsroom

Additional Images

Samsung Electronics Myanmar provided smartphones for the children to take pictures with as well as technical assistance

Children learned how to use the various camera features available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

Samsung employee offers advice on how to better use the device

Brand Ambassadors of Samsung Electronics Myanmar volunteered as models for the photo shoot

Link for Aid founder Pamela McCourt Francescone (fourth from the left) and board member Francesca Moscheni (fourth from the right) pose with the children during the week of the shoot