A new photography book by three ethnic-Rohingya artists from Myanmar will be published on 25 August, five years after the Myanmar military-led genocidal attacks on Rohingya that forced more than 700,000 to flee their indigenous homeland, triggering international outcry. ​

“A Chance to Breathe,” published with support from media organization Doha Debates and human rights organization Fortify Rights, is a new book of exclusive photography and poetry by three Rohingya refugees living in one of the world’s largest refugee camps located in Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh. The book is published by FotoEvidence, a leading publishing house dedicated to documentary photography focused on human rights and social and ecological justice.

“A Chance to Breathe” features the work of Omal Khair, Dil Kayas, and Azimul Hasson, three survivors of genocide who were forced from their homes in Rakhine State during the Myanmar-military-led “clearance operations” of 2017. Beginning on August 25, 2017, the Myanmar military razed hundreds of Rohingya villages in Rakhine State, Myanmar and killed and raped untold numbers of men, women, and children. The U.S. and other governments, U.N. officials, and nongovernmental organizations determined the attacks to be genocide.

For decades, Myanmar authorities have denied the existence of the Rohingya, forbidding them from owning smartphones, cameras, or otherwise documenting their lives. Today, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face similar restrictions on their fundamental freedoms, making this new book an especially rare glimpse into the daily lives of Rohingya refugees and genocide survivors.

In 2018, Fortify Rights, in partnership with Doha Debates, began providing on-the-ground photography and social-media training for these three young refugees. Azimul Hasson, 20, dreams of pursuing higher education; Omal Khair, 22, believes that empowered women are agents of change; and Dil Kayas, 28, a young mother of three, has a strong passion for photography.

Equipped with smartphones, the photographers sought to document their lives and engage the outside world by offering an intimate look at Rohingya life.

Omal Khair, co-author of the book, said: “I hope, when you see this photo book that you will come to know the Rohingya’s daily life and see their suffering…We must do this to end the Rohingya refugee life and daily suffering.”

Dil Kayas, another co-author, said: “I am very thankful to [the project] because our Rohingya photos and Rohingya history will now be published to the world. I hope to keep uploading photos to Instagram so our Rohingya history doesn’t disappear.”

Omal Khair, Dil Kayas, and Azimul Hasson have amassed thousands of followers online, and in 2021, the trio, along with Fortify Rights and Doha Debates, won a Shorty Award in recognition of their work. They were also featured in the 2021 film “Exodus,” directed by Fortify Rights Senior Multimedia Specialist Taimoor Sobhan, which follows the three photographers through their training and offers a look into their lives in Cox’s Bazar.

Amjad Atallah, Doha Debates’ managing director, said, “This new book of compelling photography and poetry offers a unique look at the challenges faced by Rohingya refugees and, most importantly, hope for the future.

Doha Debates is honored to partner with Fortify Rights and FotoEvidence to release this important book to the public, and we congratulate Omal Khair, Dil Kayas, and Azimul Hasson for their achievements in bringing this work to life.”  

Matthew Smith, co-founder and CEO of Fortify Rights, said: “This book is a beautiful testament to Rohingya freedom. It shows what Rohingya artists can do when they can exercise their right to freedom of expression. Our team is honored to have worked on this project with Omal Khair, Dil Kayas, Azimul Hasson, and everyone at Doha Debates and FotoEvidence.”

Svetlana Bachevanova, co-founder and director of  FotoEvidence, said: “‘A Chance to Breathe' fulfills FotoEvidence’s mission to support photographers documenting humanitarian crises, social injustice and the denial of rights. These three young photographers, living in the world’s largest refugee settlement, have created a document that belongs in the canon of humanist photography. We are honored to publish the work of Omal Khair, Dil Kayas, and Azimul Hasson.”

Featured in the book are a collection of original poems as well as images capturing moments in the daily lives of refugees in camps in Cox’s Bazar District as they play sports, prepare food, read Burmese inside the camp's learning center, and receive COVID-19 vaccinations.

Other photographs depict more subtly or overtly devastating scenes: a young man praying for his deceased parents in the camp’s graveyard; makeshift shelters destroyed by heavy monsoon rains; and residents selling goods on the streets after Bangladeshi camp authorities shut down and demolished their shops and markets.

Omal Khair, Dil Kayas, and Azimul Hasson also document the fires that swept the camp in spring 2021, burning thousands of shelters and killing hundreds of refugees.

The book’s final images contain a rare self-portrait of the three photographers, as well as artwork by the photographers calling for basic human rights for the Rohingya.

The trio continues to document life in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, posting photographs regularly on Instagram at @dilkayas, @omal_khair, and @azimulhass