Jannat
When I was seven, my mother went to extraordinary lengths to ensure I didn't attend school in our local town, instead arranging for my study in Tashkent, the capital city, which necessitated daily travel by trains and buses. She was adamant that I shouldn't miss three months of school for cotton picking. Now, at 24 years old, I am reflecting on this experience, attempting to understand the implications of cotton picking and why my mother was so intent on protecting me from it. The photo series "Jannat" (meaning "Paradise" in Uzbek) dives into the practice of cotton picking in Uzbekistan — a colonial project that has spanned more than a century. Despite hard manual labor, grueling working conditions, and environmental disasters caused by excessive cotton cultivation, the workers, oblivious to global consequences, remain appreciative of the opportunity to have work for a few months. The Uzbek government previously compelled students, teachers, and other government employees to pick cotton during the harvest season to meet export quotas and generate income. This "forced labor" practice, which saw children out of school for extended periods and exposed them to dangerous conditions, including harmful pesticides, was widely criticized by human rights organizations. Through this series, my aim is to shed light on these intertwined narratives, bringing into focus the personal experiences bound within the larger socio-political and environmental narratives around cotton production in Uzbekistan.