Poverty porn, the practice of sensationalizing poverty for emotional or promotional purposes, has become a common approach in the media’s portrayal of Manipur—a region deeply impacted by decades of socio-political instability. While these portrayals may elicit sympathy, they often fail to capture the full complexity of people’s lives, reducing resilient communities to mere symbols of hardship. In Manipur, where the impacts of ethnic conflict, radicalism, and systemic neglect weigh heavily on local populations, such shallow portrayals deny people their agency and dignity, failing to account for their resilience, communal support, and sense of self.
The issue with poverty porn is not just that it oversimplifies; it strips away the richness of people’s identities. These narratives often reduce individuals to symbols of need, disregarding the ways they actively confront and overcome challenges through solidarity, resourcefulness, and cultural pride. By focusing exclusively on deprivation, poverty porn deprives communities of the right to be seen in their fullness, reinforcing a perception that they are merely waiting for rescue rather than actively shaping their lives. Manipur, like any community, is far more than its struggles. Festivals like Ningol Chakouba, for example, highlight the depth of family bonds and traditions, showing how people draw strength from their heritage. My own experience of Ningol Chakouba, dressed in my best clothes and riding a cycle rickshaw with family, reflects this shared pride. We felt joy, dignity, and unity—not a sense of impoverishment. But these cultural celebrations rarely find a place in poverty-focused portrayals, which fixate instead on outward symbols of hardship.
Manipur’s socio-economic challenges are indeed significant, but to understand them fully, one must consider the underlying causes—ethnic tensions, political instability, and systemic neglect. The state’s history of ethnic divisions and political turmoil has fuelled an environment where both government support and resources are inadequate, contributing to economic hardship. The media often focuses on visible struggles, showing displaced families and damaged infrastructure, while neglecting the deeper systemic issues that perpetuate such conditions. The resilience of local community networks, which fill the gaps left by insufficient governmental support, is rarely highlighted. Community networks actively work to support one another, providing food, shelter, and other essentials where official institutions fail. This self-reliance is an essential part of life in Manipur, yet it is often ignored by the mainstream narratives that reduce the region to a place of suffering.
The failure to capture these complexities does more than just oversimplify—it contributes to misrepresentation, which can have real consequences. In the context of Manipur, this misrepresentation also intersects with the rise of radical movements. Youth disillusioned with limited opportunities and the absence of government support may feel driven to join radical groups as a means of gaining agency. This is less a sign of innate extremism and more a reflection of systemic neglect, where radicalism sometimes appears as the only path to expression or purpose. Many young people in Manipur find themselves caught in a landscape of limited resources and few prospects, which radical groups exploit by offering a sense of belonging and identity. Yet, mainstream portrayals often fail to account for this, casting the radicalism of Manipur’s youth as a cultural characteristic rather than an outcome of systemic neglect.
Another significant issue facing Manipur is the rise of moral policing, which restricts freedoms, especially for women and young people. Various groups enforce strict social norms, dictating how people, particularly women, should dress and behave. This climate of control and suppression reflects deeper social dynamics often ignored by poverty porn, which focuses only on visible poverty and suffering. In one case, young woman faced public backlash for wearing “modern” clothing, leading to harassment and social shaming. These instances are part of a larger pattern of moral policing, which limits personal freedoms and enforces a rigid social order. Yet, this cultural control remains invisible in most representations of Manipur, which fail to explore the nuanced restrictions shaping people’s lives.
Manipur’s poverty is not merely economic; it is compounded by decades of systemic failures, from inadequate infrastructure to limited healthcare and educational resources. These failures contribute to a cycle of dependency on both government and outside aid, which often proves inadequate for long-term development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, the shortcomings of Manipur’s healthcare system became stark naked as local facilities struggled to provide support, leaving many communities to fend for themselves. While short-term relief efforts can temporarily address crises, they do not address the underlying issues, which require sustained and systemic changes. Many in Manipur express frustration with the government’s failure to implement long-term solutions, noting that funding raised in the name of poverty relief often fails to reach those most in need. By focusing on momentary crises instead of sustainable solutions, poverty porn reinforces the cycle of neglect, framing people as passive recipients of aid rather than participants in building their futures.
The harm of poverty porn extends beyond mere representation; it perpetuates cycles of disempowerment by reinforcing a narrative of dependency. People in Manipur, however, do not want pity—they seek meaningful support that recognizes their resilience and agency. The call from local activists is clear: they do not want charity; they want partnership. Support that merely responds to crises without addressing structural issues fails to respect people’s dignity and potential. To truly address poverty, we must recognize it as an issue of justice, not just need. Poverty porn reinforces superficial sympathy, while genuine empathy demands addressing the systems that perpetuate hardship. A real commitment to justice in Manipur involves recognizing the underlying structures that sustain poverty and working alongside communities to foster resilience and opportunity.
In Manipur, everyday citizens, community organizations, and local activists are working tirelessly to support each other and become more self-reliant. They have developed innovative ways to share resources, build community networks, and promote resilience amid adversity. These local efforts to create stability within a landscape of conflict and deprivation deserve to be highlighted and supported. Rather than viewing communities as passive, these stories of resilience should be amplified to counter stereotypes and offer a more balanced, humanizing portrayal of Manipur’s people. As long as poverty porn persists, communities will remain trapped in narratives that strip them of their agency and dignity.
To break free from the cycles of poverty porn, it is essential to shift our perspective from pity to partnership. This involves amplifying the voices of those directly affected, supporting grassroots efforts, and recognizing the strength and resourcefulness that flourish in the face of adversity. The people of Manipur are not merely symbols of suffering; they are resilient individuals with the capacity to shape a prosperous future, given the right support. Empathy, in this context, should mean standing alongside communities, respecting them as equals, and supporting their efforts to build a better future on their own terms.
The solution to poverty porn lies in embracing the complexity of Manipur’s reality, acknowledging both the struggles and the triumphs that define life there. Moving away from simplistic portrayals to authentic representations allows us to see people in their fullness, recognizing both their hardships and their strengths. By shifting our lens from sympathy to solidarity, we can foster genuine change in the lives of Manipur’s people. Rather than focusing exclusively on deprivation, the goal should be to understand and support the enduring efforts of communities striving for dignity and independence amid their unique challenges. Only then can we hope to empower the people of Manipur, helping to build a society where they are seen not just as subjects of sympathy but as partners in creating a just and thriving future.
The writer is a well known social activist
