A Photographic Exploration of Families

Title of Project: Tender Lessons

In Guyana, a father’s hands are often affiliated with either discipline or absence. This forms part of stereotypical views of masculinity in the Anglophone Caribbean constructed as dominant, violent and uncaring. This series of photos, titled “Tender lessons”, challenge and complicate the narrative of fathering in Guyana, offering a perspective that embodies caring and nurturing fatherhood. In keeping with the theme of this call, the images draw connections between a father and daughter, focusing solely on their hands, as a method of guidance and care. 

The 3 images invite us to spend an afternoon with a father and daughter, after they both come home from work and school, watering plants in the yard. The focus on the textures of the hands and water reminds us of the multiple ways we can imagine men’s roles as fathers in our lives. As we witness the daughter’s smaller hands receiving guidance from her father’s movements to water the plants and wash her hands, may we remember the importance of learning, bonding, and trusting the hands of fathers. With these images, we invite the viewer to experience Caribbean masculinities as connection, tenderness and love. The intention is to open space in our hearts for new definitions of fatherhood that center care in our homes and communities.