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“Every one of us is a storyteller, and every time we open our mouths we have opportunities to shift the landscape.”
Meet Danielle Khan Da Silva – award-winning queer South Asian–Portuguese photographer, filmmaker, writer, intersectional conservationist and National Geographic Explorer.
Khan Da Silva’s photography and documentaries are captivating, not only because they’re professionally dazzling, but because she uses her art as a tool for collective liberation.
“For me, collective liberation is the vision and the goal,” Khan Da Silva says of her hope for all life on Earth.
Spreading her tool for change, Khan Da Silva founded Photographers Without Borders, an organization championing ethical storytelling. She has also founded a mentorship program called Reclaim Power and co-founded the Sumatran Wildlife Sanctuary.
“Rather than focusing solely on the loss of species or habitats, art can tell stories of resilience, regeneration, and hope – stories that empower people to take action towards a collective vision that benefits humans, wildlife and ecosystems alike.”
“By focusing on narratives that take us there, we can create spaces for reflection, challenge the status quo, and foster empathy for ecosystems and communities alike.”
Through her photography and documentaries, Khan Da Silva transcends language barriers and draws our attention to healing and community building.
She uses storytelling to challenge colonial narratives and showcase liberation in Indigenous land and water stewardship and rematriation – the process of reconnecting Indigenous Peoples with their ancestral lands.
“When we approach storytelling from this angle, it also shifts how we view conservation as a whole. It’s no longer just about preserving habitats for their own sake or for species that we view as valuable; it becomes about ensuring the survival of ways of life and traditions that are inextricably linked to the land, because we are all inextricably linked.”
Khan Da Silva received the first Sony Alpha Female award and was named a Canadian Top 30 Under 30 Sustainable Leader. She hosts workshops and mentorship programs and is writing her first book and making her first feature film.
