In pictures: Combating drought in the Horn of Africa?

Photo: © Alejandro Chaskielberg

The BBC News In Pictures blog today ran an online gallery of photographs from Turkana in Kenya, by award-winning photographer Alejandro Chaskielberg, apparently comssioned by Oxfam. The BBC ran them under the headline In Pictures: Combating drought in the Horn of Africa. I’ve added a question mark to this in the title of this blog post very deliberately – because I want to ask whether Combating drought in the Horn of Africa is really what these pictures show us.

One of the interesting things about these images is that they were all shot at night. Chaskielberg’s technique of working at night, using long exposures, moonlight and artificial lighting to illuminate his subjects, won him the Sony World Photography award last year, for a series of images of islanders in the Parana river delta in Argentina. For that reason alone they fall into my interesting occasional blog topic about photography being about things we can’t see. Another point of interest is that a colleague of mine also visited Turkana recently, with Oxfam and produced a very different report in almost exactly the same place, about exactly the same issues. You can see it here.

But one of the other most interesting things about Chaskielberg’s images is that they were commissioned by Oxfam. I think that this represents something of a departure for an NGO like Oxfam, as a means of communicating photographically about emergency response work  - perhaps a welcome one, but perhaps not. Let me explain.

We’ve come to expect ‘photojournalistic’ images from NGOs, to tell us a ‘truth’ about what we’re witnessing – even if we know that that ‘truth’ often has an ulterior motive (whether it’s to prompt us to act, to donate, to support or to share). Images produced for or by NGOs are rarely put into the public sphere purely to inform us objectively.

Chaskielberg’s images take us into somewhat different territory. Part art, part photojournalism, part intervention, partly choreographed, they run the risk of becoming the story themselves, of obscuring the story that Oxfam presumably wants to us to hear and agree with (about the fantastic work that they’re doing in Turkana to alleviate the impact of the current drought and mitigate the risks of future ones).

Perhaps there’s something in the treatment that jars a little – the captions tell a slightly different story to the pictures, referring to (but not providing a link to) an (admittedly) related Oxfam/Save the Children story about how the crisis in the Horn of Africa might have been avoidable had the world reacted sooner. Some of the images aren’t captioned with any contextual information about the subjects either, although they all feature either individuals, families or groups. There’s also something coldly ‘anthropological’ about the images which I find slightly unsettling.

The BBC’s picture editor, Phil Coomes, tackles some of these questions in his blogged interview with Chaskielberg, to which Chaskielberg’s response is:

“I would like to break with the idea that a beautiful picture of a hurtful situation detracts from its message or documentary value.

“All realities have light and shade and nothing determines that photographing in a tough way would offer a clearer message; it is just a decision of the artist who is trying to communicate an idea.

“Famine in East Africa is a painful reality of a preventable catastrophe, but even in this situation people love, desire and dream of a better future.

“I find myself as a classic photographer using film cameras interested in photographic techniques and portraiture. My intention is to highlight a hopeful vision of the present, showing people’s strength and to inspire the viewer that a change is possible.”

Coomes comes down on the photographer’s side, but I’m not so sure. There’s no doubt they are stunning images, photographs that show us a very different view of a challenging story and a challenging situation. And Oxfam are to be congratulated for trying to use creative photography to help them tell a story. But do these images really tell us about how Oxfam is combating drought in the Horn of Africa? Or do they just intrude on people’s privacy and suffering for the sake of a clever photographic technique and some good PR coverage? I’m playing devil’s advocate here a little of course; I don’t know the answers, and I’m not criticising Chaskielberg, Oxfam, or Phil. I’m just not sure this is way to tell these kinds of stories In Pictures.

You can see more of Chaskielberg’s images, read interview and even watch a behind the scenes film on the BBC In Pictures blog. I’m interested to hear what others think?

The Haiti earthquake, two years on: one brighter picture

Haiti, two years on: Handing over refurbished homes in Leogane. Picture: DFID/Brenda Coughlan

It’s hard to believe that two years have already passed since the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti on 12 January 2010. There’s been a lot of media coverage of this ‘anniversary’ over the last couple of days, largely focussed on reports that aid money is still not getting through to people, and that some 500,000 people are still living in emergency shelters.

It’s true that there are still huge challenges in Haiti. But it’s also true that there have been successes. A year ago, the number of people living in emergency shelter was a million. That number has been halved in a year. It’s still a shocking number, but progress is being slowly being made, and it’s important that we recognise this too. There are good news stories in Haiti – not enough of them by a long way, but they are there.

That’s why I thought I’d share this photo that landed in my inbox at work yesterday. Taken by a colleague of mine in Haiti a few weeks ago, it shows a very different picture from those that you’ll see in the mainstream media – the moment that a refurbished home is handed over to its owner, in the coastal town of Leogane, some 12 miles from the capital, Port au Prince.

This is a major achievement in Leogane. 90% of the buildings there were completely destroyed in the earthquake; a city of 130,000 people reduced to rubble in minutes. The French charity ACTED (Agency for Technical Co-operation in Development) has been working over the last two years in Leogane to repair and refurbish as many of the buildings and homes that survived the earthquake as possible, with the help of funding from the UK. You can read more about the project on the DFID website.

This picture carries huge resonance for me. I visited Leogane six months after the quake, back in July 2010, and photographed some of ACTED’s engineers carrying out the first structural assessments part of this project, on the few buildings that were left standing. Although it’s taken 18 months, it’s great to see that this project at least is now nearly complete, and that a few more families are finally able to begin to put the earthquake behind them.

Eve Arnold, 1912-2012

Sad that my first blog post of 2012 should be about the passing of another great photographer, but I just thought I’d share this Magnum in Motion audio slideshow interview with Eve Arnold in conversation with John Tusa, from 2009.

Considering Eve Arnold’s standing as a Magnum photographer and the extraordinary archive of photographs she leaves behind, it’s a shame that there seems to be very little in terms of interview/retrospective multimedia material available about her online – apart from those pieces that talk about her photographs of Marilyn Monroe. Even this piece is quite narrow in scope, although it includes segments on Joan Crawford, Malcolm X and Margaret Thatcher. But it’s wonderful to hear Eve Arnold’s voice. May she rest in peace.

See more: http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.PhotographerDetail_VPage&l1=0&pid=2K7O3R14AZX1&nm=Eve%20Arnold

Obituary: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2012/jan/05/eve-arnold-memorable-photographs

A year in development pictures

To mark the end of 2011, I thought I’d just blog a quick post on my ‘pictures of the year’ -inspired The Guardian’s selection of ‘development photos of the year‘, as well as by the fact that one of my pictures was selected by them as one of their Photographs of the Year earlier this week. (I’m as amazed and bemused by this as I have been about all the other media attention that this picture has attracted this year, and humbled to be included in such a selection, especially given what an incredible year it’s been in terms of major global news events).

So, for what it’s worth, here are my ‘photos of the year’ – selected mainly from ‘creative commons’ images that have crossed my desk at work during the course of 2011, plus a few more famous ones. Hope you enjoy, and here’s to more momentous photographs in 2012!

Haiti, one year on

Ruins of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, one year after the quake, by Hoyasmeg

Receiving oral rehydration salts at cholera observation centre by Amanda George/British Red Cross

The 12th of January 2011 marked ‘year-on’ point from the Haiti earthquake. Cholera and other diseases remain huge problems in Haiti, as do shelter and land-rights issues.

Japan tsunami

Members of a British search and rescue team climb over debris from the tsunami, whilst searching for trapped people as snow falls in Kamaishi, Japan, Wednesday, March 16, 2011. Picture: Matt Dunham/AP Photo

A family’s photo album lies among the debris left when the tsunami bore through the city of Otsuchi in north-eastern Japan. Photo: Kathy Mueller/IFRC

Libya

Hundreds of refugees from Libya line up for food at a transit camp near the Tunisia-Libya border, 05/03/2011. UN Photo/OCHA/David Ohana.

In a tragic accident in Ajdabiya, Libya, on 4 June 2011, three-year-old Shada Yonis brought a hand grenade into the living room as the family and some children from next door were watching TV. She pulled out the arming pin. Her father Yonis Sala grabbed it and tried to save his children by covering himself over the grenade. He was killed along with Shada, and five-year-old Shema. Three other children and Shada’s mother were seriously injured. Visible in this photo is the shape of Yonis Sala where he took the shrapnel. Sean Sutton/Mines Advisory Group

Tim Hetherington’s last photograph, taken shortly before he was killed in an explosion in Misrata, Libya, along with fellow photojournalist Chris Hondros, on 20th April 2011. Tim Hetherington/Magnum Photos

The death of Osama Bin Laden

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, May 1, 2011. Picture: Pete Souza/White House

South Sudan independence

South Sudanese men wrestle as they celebrate independence in Juba on July 9, 2011. Photo by Tim Freccia / Enough Project

Pakistan, one year on from the floods

Daddla Junego, 11 years old, lives in Garhi Haleem village in Sindh, Pakistan, with her mother and 12 other family members in a one room house. She goes to the local school, one of many to have been recently repaired thanks to UK aid following last year’s devasting floods. Vicki Francis/DFID

Horn of Africa drought and famine

A woman holds a prescription for oral rehydration salts that she has been given for her sick child, who has diarrhoea, at a temporary health clinic in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Picture © UNICEF/Kate Holt

Children climbing a tree in the Dadaab refugee camp, north-east Kenya. Picture: Alistair Fernie/DFID

Margaret, a resident of Kataboi Village in Turkana, northern Kenya, is one of 60,000 vulnerable people benefitting from an innovative ‘hunger safety net programme’, supported by British aid. Picture: Marisol Grandon/DFID

Tiru with her baby daughter, receiving nutrition support in southern Ethiopia, thanks to CARE International. Picture: Tanya Axissa/DFID

Looking to the future

Dominic Ekomeva, 43 – Looking to the future. Picture: Rankin for Oxfam

“This drought has taken my manhood. I don’t feel manly anymore because I don’t own anything that I am proud of. All I have left is a few goats and I think they will die soon. I left three lying down this morning – they are so weak that they can no longer stand. There is one baby but its mother has no milk for it. It’s really tough. I have been forced to seek degrading jobs like selling firewood. A man should never have to do such jobs, but I had no choice. I have to feed my family.

My family used to live by the lakeside. I came here to find a job with the Catholic mission. With the money I made I bought five goats. They were healthy and quickly multiplied. Things were good then, we were all eating well and the boys were in school. Everyone had cows, donkeys, goats and sheep. At that time I had more than 200 goats. I felt brave to have all those animals. I felt like a man. I could sell one whenever I wanted, I could buy whatever I wanted. I could have tea and sugar whenever I wanted. I could buy wheat flour.

I felt like I could do anything. There was grass everywhere and there was water. It was green as far as you could see. Everyone was busy taking care of something because there was a lot of work to do. I knew one for thing for sure – in those days my children would never go hungry.

In our culture we believe that a beautiful lady needs ornaments. I used to buy my wife and daughters necklaces. I would exchange two female goats for one large necklace. Who will buy my daughter her necklaces now? She doesn’t have enough. My daughters are beautiful and their father should be able to buy them ornaments.

I know that I will feel like a man again. One day, when my boys finish their education and my daughters get married. Then I will be a man again.”

Protecting sight, photographing the unseen

So my ‘Developing Pictures: year 2′, once-a-week blogging commitment hasn’t got off to a great start (see my previous post, dated a month ago!). But, better late than never, I just thought I’d try to collect some quick thoughts on a few interesting photo/multimedia projects that I’ve seen recently and been meaning to blog about.

I’ve written previously on how photography can often be as much about what it doesn’t show us, as about what it does. It can sometimes be about what we can and can’t see. But sometimes some photographs come along that tell us something about seeing itself and – though it sounds like stating the obvious  - remind us why sight is so important to the act of photography.

Sophie Gerrard’s photographs of patients and staff at the the Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital in Bihar, India, for the Savitri Waney Charitable Trust, reveal not only the challenges of daily life for thousands of people suffering from treatable cataract blindness, but also the transformative effect that simple treatment can offer. Her images contrast powerful, empowering portraits of sufferers and carers with simple, beautifully observed, domestic details.

As a ‘visual’ person, I would (probably unsurprisingly) rate sight as the most precious sense. The irony – and tragedy – that Sophie’s photographs would be unseen, invisible, to most of the people she has photographed cannot be ignored. Certainly, without access to the treatment that the Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital provides, most of her subjects would become incurably blind.

I’d been meaning to blog about Sophie’s work for a while, but I was prompted to finally do so today by a related announcement. The Financial Times today launched its Christmas Charity appeal in support of the charity Sightsavers. Sightsavers carries out similar work to the Savitri Waney Charitable Trust, providing treatment and support to visually impaired people across the world, and many photojournalists have worked with the organisation to help it promote its work. So I’m particularly pleased that the Department for International Development (where I work) is supporting the FT/Sightsavers appeal this year through a scheme called UK Aid Match. This means that the UK government will match every pound raised by the FT appeal in the run-up to Christmas, effectively doubling the money that Sightsavers will receive to help them carry out their important work.

Please take a few minutes to check out the work of SightSavers, the Savitri Waney Charitable Trust, and of Sophie Gerrard. And, if you can, donate whatever you can..

To donate to the FT/Sightsavers appeal, go here.

To donate to the Savitri Waney Charitable Trust go here

To see more of Sophie Gerrard’s work, go here. Her Protectors of Sight exhibition can be seen at the Royal Society of Medicine in London for just another few days (ends on the 25th November).

Why do we still need photography to tell us about hunger?

Lots of people around the world are talking about food today, as it is both World Food Day and Blog Action Day 2011 (BAD theme: food).

Why? Because globally, nearly a billion of the world’s nearly 7 billion population are short of food. That’s nearly 15% of the total number of people on the planet. Over 10 million of them are in the Horn of Africa region of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. In Somalia, 750,000 are at immediate risk of death due to the famine that is gripping parts of the country. But what can be done about it?

I was going to try to pull together some collected thoughts about how – if at all – photography and multimedia play any part in our understanding of what this problem of food and hunger means. Looking at the numbers though, it seems almost trite to even contemplate that the act of taking a photograph could remotely make any difference.

But the fact is that it does. It matters that journalists and photographers keep telling the story of what is going on in the Horn of Africa, and in other crisis zones around the world. People say that we’re tired of images of suffering, that the media only represents a very narrow stereotyped view of drought and hunger and famine.

Maybe this was true a few years ago. But the rapid advances in internet access, ‘social media’ websites, digital cameras and internet-enabled smart phones have changed the way many of us see and find out about the world, and are arguably on the cusp of fundamentally challenging the so-called traditional media, forcing it to re-invent itself.

Blog Action Day is just one example of this, uniting thousands of people around the world in one simultaneous conversation around a topic that affects us all. The United Nations has been running ‘World xxxxx Days’ on dozens if not hundreds of issues for years. But now, more than ever before, information, images and video can travel around the world and be seen by millions of people in moments.

What we do with this information, whether a photograph or a story or a piece of grainy video footage compels us into action or behaviour change, is still and will always be a subjective decision. After all, what can we do with it? Many of us will look ghoulishly and click away (or ‘turn the page’ as it used to be called). But some of us will hit the ‘click to donate’ button, or pick up our mobile phone and text a five digit number to donate a fiver.

The video posted above was shot by a colleague of mine a couple of weeks ago, in Turkana, northwest Kenya; I had a small hand in editing it. It attempts to tell just one small part of a huge story; Turkana is a vast county where 95% of the population live on less than a dollar a day. Like much of the rest of the Horn of Africa, it is suffering badly as a result of the drought, though not as badly as some places. Even so though, many people here are in desperate need of help. We are helping some of them, but the images shot by my colleague tell me that we need to help them a lot more.

Visit the DEC East Africa Crisis website to donate whatever you can.

24 posts later: a year of blogging on Developing Pictures

I just noticed that it’s almost exactly a year ago that I first set up Developing Pictures and posted to this blog. So, to mark this momentous anniversary, I thought I’d just share a list of the 24 posts that I’ve written over the year – once a fortnight on average, which is not bad I reckon. I’m going to try and up this to once a week for year two, although some posts may have to be nearer to 500 words than a thousand if I’m going to achieve that (and those who know me will know just how much of a challenge that’s going to be!). Anyway, I hope some of what’s below is interesting and makes some kind of sense. Do let me know!

1. File under development

2. Beauty, photography and the MDGs

3. Breaking photos and a state of emergency

4. AFP, OGL and CC-A: big questions for photography and the internet

5. Can’t live without it: Blog Action Day 2010 #water

6. From real people to virtual villages: Katine to Kroo Bay

7. Surviving the floods in Pakistan – a view from Sukkur

8. From Haiti to Pakistan

9. Haiti, one year on – in pictures around the web

10. A serious game? Interactive inside the Haiti earthquake

11. Archival images – some thoughts on libraries and photography

12. Faces of hope – powerful portraits of two women in Afghanistan

13. From Hokusai to horror – an evening with Chris Steele-Perkins

14. The spider trees of Pakistan – a tale of two photographs and the web

15. World Photography Festival, Bruce Davidson and a wedding

16. And the winner is? Jim Goldberg and the Photographer’s Gallery

17. Sleeping soldiers: remembering Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros

18. A little bit of history repeating: some thoughts on Burke+Norfolk in Afghanistan

19. World Refugee Day – in pictures

20. Conversations in photography: 25 years of Panos Pictures

21. In the midst of hunger, one happier picture from east Africa

22. Looking into the past: 10 years on from 9/11 – the illusion of stopping time

23. Sean Smith and Thomas Struth: between the moment and what came before

24. From Transit to transitions: do we need multimedia to tell a story?