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The Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University (ACFJ) launched its program in photojournalism when it sealed a partnership with the World Press Photo at a ceremony last October 9 at the Ateneo Professional Schools in Rockwell, Makati City.

World Press Photo, the Netherlands-based global platform for professional press photography, will collaborate with ACFJ in a number of projects aimed to raise the bar for photojournalism in the country and contribute to the public's knowledge about it. Among the projects are the four-month program Diploma in Photojournalism to commence in November and the annual World Press Photo Exhibition set for May 2007.

Keynote speaker in the launch ceremony was Shahidul Alam, the prominent Bangladeshi photojournalist and social activist who founded the Asian photography festival "Chobi Mela". Alam has lectured and published widely on photography, new media and education. His pictures have been shown in the world's leading galleries including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. At the World Press Photo's annual photojournalism competitions, Alam has served thrice as jury member.

Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ Ateneo president, and Netherlands Ambassador Robert Vornis also spoke at the inauguration. Also attending were representatives from the German and Cambodian Embassies.

Photojournalism is the latest addition to the ACFJ training program. Earlier this year it offered the Diploma in Radio Journalism to 15 journalists from six Asian countries. It has pioneered the use of an interactive online learning system to deliver journalism training including the M.A. in Journalism to working journalists from all over Asia.

Applications for admission to the photojournalism program are now being accepted. Scholarships will be granted on a competitive basis. Forms are available in the downloads page of the ACFJ website http://acfj.ateneo.edu and may also be requested from newsroom@admu.edu.ph.

Pictured :

Main Image - L-R: Markus Tschan, Press and Cultural Attache, German Embassy; Dr Violet Valdez, ACFJ Executive Director; Paula Schindeler, Political and Cultural Attache, Netherlands Embassy; Dr Shahidul Alam, Founder of the South Asian Institute of Photography and board member of the National Geographic Society; HE Robert Vornis, Netherlands Ambassador to the Philippines; Mark Escaler, Chair of the Department of Communication, Ateneo de Manila; and Dr Mercedes Rodrigo, Chair of the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science, Ateneo de Manila.