Masoumeh Bahrami’s “Tears of Motherland” Wins €1,500 Journalism Fund Europe Grant
Masoumeh Bahrami was awarded a €1,500 grant to support the next chapter of her project “Tears of Motherland” as part of Inland’s “Sustaining Stories” workshop on Investigative Environmental Storytelling, held in collaboration with Journalism Fund Europe.
“Tears of Motherland” is Masoumeh’s long-term photographic project documenting the ecological crisis in Miankaleh International Wetland on the Caspian Sea coast of Iran. The region, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and critical habitat for wildlife and migratory birds, is suffering from drastically declining water levels, drought, pollution, and human mismanagement. Over eight years of photography and years of living in the region, Masoumeh captures the wetland’s transformation and the threat it poses to both nature and local communities, aiming to raise awareness and inspire conservation action.
The workshop “Sustaining Stories” brought together passionate storytellers for two dynamic online seminars and two in-person talks in Arles, led by experts in environmental journalism, data research, and storytelling. Participants explored new ideas, forged connections, and honed their skills, and honed their skills, while Masoumeh received recognition for her long-term photographic work documenting the ecological crisis in Miankaleh International Wetland on the Caspian Sea coast of Iran.