WaterAid and the Wimbledon Foundation have teamed up to launch Carrying Life: Motherhood and Water in Malawi, a striking outdoor multimedia exhibition by award-winning British-Egyptian photographer, Laura El-Tantawy, open to the public from 3 March to 14 April at More London near Tower Bridge.
The 22-piece photo exhibition will be unveiled along the banks of the Thames, shining a light on the stories of mothers and babies in Malawi’s Ntchisi district impacted by dirty water, poor sanitation and a lack of hygiene in health centres.
Captured in El-Tantawy’s distinctive and emotive style, the poignant yet powerful photographs reveal women’s hopes and fears in Malawi’s “guardian shelters” – basic structures near the local health centre where expectant mothers and their “guardians”, the family member or friend who helps them, stay as they await labour, often without the vital essentials needed for safe childbirth.
The collection of striking images and moving portraits will be displayed across lightboxes and digital screens, giving a unique glimpse into the lives of the women in their final stages of pregnancy, childbirth and the journey into motherhood and beyond. Through this new work, El-Tantawy not only offers an intimate insight into the lived experiences of mothers across the generations but also explores the extraordinary bond between women giving birth in such unsafe circumstances.
Carrying Life is the first photo collaboration between international charity WaterAid and its partner, the Wimbledon Foundation, who have been supporting WaterAid’s work since 2017. Launched ahead of International Women’s Day, the exhibition aims to celebrate the dignity and strength of women in Ntchisi district, Malawi, whilst also drawing attention to the stark reality of the nearly one in four healthcare facilities in Malawi without clean water on site, leaving mothers and babies at risk of deadly infections.
Carrying Life: Motherhood and Water in Malawi is free to the public and will be open daily at Riverside, More London, from 3 March to 14 April 2023.
