In an era dominated by video content (thanks to platforms like TikTok and Instagram!), still photography maintains a unique significance. It captures a fleeting moment, enabling viewers to absorb the overall context while also uncovering subtle details that might otherwise be overlooked.
At Goats and Soda, we see photography as vital in showcasing the everyday experiences, both joyous and challenging, of life in the Global South. Here are our standout photo-centric narratives from 2025.
Polar bear, Dalian Forest Zoo, China. In this zoo, the polar bear is confined to an area significantly smaller than its natural range, which can extend up to 31,000 square miles.
Zed Nelson/Institute/INSTITUTE
Mother Nature must be really annoyed at our fakery
The images from the book The Anthropocene Illusion include a polar bear in captivity, a hotel balcony overlooking elephants, and a hazy tree mural, all highlighting humanity’s impact on Earth.
The exhibit Sahy Rano, featured at the Photoville Festival in Brooklyn, aims to bring attention to female genital schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease. Photographed in September 2024 in Northern Madagascar, former patients are seen embracing their stories.
Miora Rajaonary/The End Fund
Why it took courage for these women to pose for the camera
These women, adorned in traditional masks, agreed to be photographed to advocate against the stigma surrounding female genital schistosomiasis, a condition closely resembling sexually transmitted diseases.
Emmanuel Siyabonga, an artisanal coal miner, transports coal at an abandoned mine in Ermelo, South Africa. This dangerous work remains one of the few economic options in a town plagued by poverty and unemployment.
Tommy Trenchard for NPR
The perilous lives of men who salvage coal from abandoned mines
These miners, known as zama zamas, face hazardous conditions in their daily quest for survival, with one stating, “Bit by bit it’s killing something inside me.”
