This is about exposure.
I understand that, upon consideration of the social framework that has been ordained upon us, what I am about to delve into is that which is left for only select groups of individuals to entertain and explore. Yet whether you, the reader, are aware of it or not, I am part of those groups. And I am here to tell you now that I am not one to circumscribe such a sensitive and probably controversial topic to individuals who can "take it." People can take it; most just choose not to. I want you to. I at first had my apprehensions with regards to my involvement with something such as this, but after shifting my position and opening up enough, I found that it is something I would want to introduce myself to fully; and I have.
This is the type of thing that has been hidden under multiple layers of shrouds ever since the wretched notions of censorship and social consciousness were instigated. It is ironic, since the core subject of these photographs is the very thing that social consciousness calls for. I would like you to visualize your face on these photos, instead of the faces that are shown (or not shown), and witness how this process of displacement works. I cannot predict the very effect that it may bring about, but if you would allow it, it WILL make you shift in your seat. Maybe make you sweat a little. I shall walk you through every photograph.
Let's see you try and take your eyes off the screen.
A man from a Malawian village in Africa. A place crumbling under famine. People from this area, children included, eagerly await the coming of winged termites that they will moments later snatch out of the air and toss in their mouths. 1
Africa, still. 2
Liberia. A 9-year old wounded by mortar rounds that landed in a Monrovian refugee camp run by the American embassy.3
A volunteer in Libera helps bury 66 bodies in a hurriedly-dug mass grave, as peacekeepers drone in the distance.4
African children huddle as they make do with their portions.5
A toddler living in conditions that force him to literally eat crumbs off the pavement.6
A famine-stricken Sudanese child (female) crawls towards the United Nations food camp a kilometer away.
A vulture stands by.
This is a Pilitzer Prize-winning shot taken by photographer Kevin Carter. The scene he had captured led him to flee the area rigth after, the same scene that many speculate was what later on led him to take his life. Along with his body was discovered his suicide note, which read "The pain of life overrides the joy to the point that joy does not exist." 7, 8
Another photograph taken by Kevin Carter.9
I write this post neither for it to be put across as a call for action, nor as katharsis for the injustices and inequalities that I see; neither as rebellion against the countries mentioned above, nor a mere feat to add a bit of humanitarian flavor to my webjournal.
I write this post with selfish intentions; I had my concerns, and I placed them here.
Let those who cast these things away go on with their lives. I stand here as only one person aware of the limited reach and effect of a weblog, especially this one. But it is here that I choose to voice out my feelings.
This very post might make me seem like an overly-concerned individual who is nothing but frustrated towards a society she wants to change. If that is what you think, then you are very much mistaken. This is my spot on the world wide web, and these are my thoughts. Writing is my craft, and it is my right and responsibility to make use of this craft for good.
So what significant "good" do I expect this post to do? Honestly? I have no idea. But to whoever is reading this, if I have touched you in any way with the things you have seen, then let that be good enough. If I have opened your eyes to issues you have never taken a good look at before, then I am proud and grateful. If I have, however, done nothing, then it is perfectly fine. Because as I have mentioned, my intention was to voice out my concerns. And the photos you have seen verify the fact that my concerns are real, and these things ARE present not just in the countries mentioned, but in other places.
I would like to reiterate that this is not a call for action, but thinking about it, I wouldn't mind it being seen as one. Let this post move people. Let this make people think. Let this make people see. Let this make people realize that there ARE issues other than the ones they choose to deal with. Let this make people realize that other people are dying, if not already dead, for reasons they had no control over. Let this post make people understand that it goes further than countries not having sufficient finances. Because that issue in itself is worsened by the fact that nothing is being done. People are left to waste away, then rot away, then get buried in mass graves (if they get buried at all).
This is about exposure. Exposure of these issues that call for social awareness as well as human compassion, and exposure of the part of myself that not many people get to see.
So how do you like it?
CITED SOURCES:
1 "Why People are Still Hungry in Africa." Herald Tribune. 15 July 2003. 25 May 2005. http://www2.ee.ntu.edu.tw/~b86163/Weblog/july182003.htm
2 photo taken from http://churchofsaginaw.org/churchstory/crossroads.htm (photographer unknown)
3 Benson, Robert. "Inside the Pulitzers." American Photojounalist7 June 2004. 25 May 2005. http://www.americanphotojournalist.com/news.php?post_id=145
4 ibid.
5 photo taken from http://mars.walagata.com/w/boonchee/poverty.jpg
6 Villanueva, Lorraine. "IMAGES THAT WILL TOUCH YOUR HEART...." E-mail to the author. 22 May 2005.
7 ibid.
8 "The Ultimate in Unfair". Flat Rock. 29 April 2005. 25 May 2005. http://flatrock.org.nz/topics/odds_and_oddities/ultimate_in_unfair.htm
9 ibid.
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