The Akazi Exhibition – Breast Cancer in Malawi
The Akazi Exhibition – Breast Cancer in Malawi is a unique and powerful exhibition that showcases the photography of Antonio Jaén Osuna, communication specialist, who has been documenting the lived realities of women battling with breast cancer in rural Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world.
The work has been undertaken as part of the Akazi project (generously funded by the Irish Research Council and the Department of Foreign Affairs), which is collaborating with the Malawian Ministry of Health, local NGOs and other stakeholders to improve care delivery for the many women affected by this deadly disease. Fewer than one in ten breast cancer patients survive beyond 18 months in Malawi.
This one-of-a-kind exhibition shares our experiences from the last two years of field work in Malawi and aims to initiate a conversation about the importance of early detection of breast cancer, a disease that cuts across cultures, social realities and countries.
The Akazi Exhibition – Breast Cancer in Malawi was officially launched on October 23 2023 in RCSI, 123 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin.
Please click/tap on the 'i' button for full captions.
Akazi: A Journey of Hope
All photos by Antonio Jaén Osuna.
“In rural Malawi many women are unaware of the signs and risks of breast cancer. There are no campaigns to educate and raise awareness about this disease, which often remains undetected until too late. Healthcare workers in rural areas, where hundreds of women seek care daily, lack the necessary training to adequately identify suspicious breast abnormalities. As a result, many Malawian women die from breast cancer, even though this is not a fatal disease if detected and treated early.
“It is in this context that four years ago we launched the Akazi project. Akazi, meaning "woman" in the Chichewa language, is a research initiative focused on reducing breast cancer mortality in Malawi. During this time, our multidisciplinary team has been working in Blantyre, in the south of Malawi, collaborating with local authorities to assess gaps in service delivery and opportunities for improvement, upskilling frontline healthcare workers, and raising awareness about breast health and breast cancer among rural communities.
“Today, through these photos, we intend to show what the project has revealed to us, along with the realities of the communities we work in. We appeal to the power of images to convey, communicate and make people feel what we have encountered during these years of work. But we also want to share the key data behind the images, to ensure that the impact of breast cancer on people is not overlooked.
“This exhibition aims to bring you closer to the people who face and fight the disease and their everyday lives. We want to show how a small research project like Akazi represents hope on the challenging path of breast cancer.”