Feature: Photo of family meal in Laos' highlands brings recognition for Finnish photographer

A photo of a family enjoying a simple meal in Laos' rural highlands taken by a Vientiane-based Finnish photographer was adjudged one of the three winners in the World Food Programme (WFP) photo competition that featured celebrity chef Jamie Oliver as honorary judge.

Photographer Ari Vitikainen, 46, has won recognition for his photo entitled "Khauchi Papa, a Special Meal in the Highlands of Laos."

The photograph depicts the making of Kauchi Papa, a bread made from newly-harvested rice and sesame seeds and prepared by a family from the ethnic minority Rshi community in the hinterlands of Mai District in Laos' Phongsaly Province.

Vitikainen has worked closely with the ethnic community and has published a book about his experience in his native Finland.

The announcement of the winners was made on Monday evening at the opening of the photo exhibition at the European Parliament in Brussels with the theme, "The Family Meal -- What Brings us Together."

Photographs depicting families in Burundi and the Philippines shared the honors in the competition that explored the simple yet powerful message of a family sitting together and eating a simple meal.

Speaking to Xinhua, Vitikainen said his photograph was inspired by the changing lives of the Rshi people, officially classified in Laos as "Lao Sung Ko," who share cultural and linguistic links to the Akha ethnic group.

"Many things have started to change for Rshi people in recent years as schools have been built in Rshi villages, with roads reaching the remote highlands, and more forest lands being converted into farms and pastures," Vitikainen said.

He said that preparing the Khauchi Papa and the making of a swing on top of the mountains are some of the Rshi traditions related to their New Year celebration.

"Rshi people have their own unique language, identity and culture which they would like to pass to future generations and taking a picture of their family meal is my way of preserving one of their cherished traditions," Vitikainen said.

Celebrity chef and honorary judge Jamie Oliver singled out Vitikainen's work for special praise in post-judging remarks.

"Ari's colorful shot from Laos is a fantastic example of how important and fun it can be to prepare and share a meal with your loved ones," Oliver said.

He said that to the majority of the people a family meal could be just a basic necessity but to other people because of poverty it is a struggle just to have one meal a day.

"It's a big issue, and I hope this competition will help raise awareness of the lack of food and the need to solve hunger all over the world," Oliver said.

The competition's other winners were Breech Asher Harani's " Candlelight Supper" from the Philippines, and a picture by Darine Ndihokubwayo, which shows street children in Burundi enjoying a Sunday meal.

Speaking at the announcement of the winners, WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin praised the photographers for highlighting the importance of food and nutrition in everyday life and the role that families play in achieving zero hunger.

"These photographs inspire because they demonstrate the simple yet powerful role provided by sitting together and eating as a family in every country and in all cultures around the world," Cousin said.

The exhibition and the competition were part of a campaign launched last year by WFP and funded by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO) to help eradicate hunger around the world.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. On average, it reaches more than 80 million people with food assistance in 75 countries annually, according to its website. Endi