Introduction:
The Uyghur Album, is an online collection comprising valuable photos, images, and pictures that encapsulate the Uyghur people, their history, culture, and Uyghurstan. This platform operates as an integral component of the Uyghur Library, administered by the Uyghur National Institute. Carefully curated from various sources, including photo collectors and online repositories, these images serve to safeguard the historical significance and cultural heritage of the Uyghur community, shedding light on their lives and the atrocities they face. With over 5,000 photographs and images, the Uyghur Album’s website allows free public access for viewing and downloading.
After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) escalated its genocidal crackdown on the Uyghur people and their culture, significant sources of information about Uyghur culture, including cultural centers, libraries, and websites, were forcibly closed down. Visual elements that represented the Uyghur identity were systematically eradicated from the lives of Uyghurs, aiming to erase their cultural memory. As a result, the Uyghur diaspora faces a profound sense of loss and yearns for a source that can provide them with a connection to their homeland, people, and culture. The Uyghur Album was created to alleviate this void and offer a means for the diaspora to regain a sense of their heritage.
The project was initiated in 2022 by Tahir Imin, prompted by the exorbitant financial demands of prominent news agencies such as Reuters, the Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse for using images of Uyghur protests sourced from online platforms. As the Uyghur Times is a non-profit organization and an advocate for Uyghur voices, the creation of this online resource aims to provide freely accessible Uyghur images and pictures, serving the purpose of advocacy for all.