The spectacle of poverty: come and see
Photograph carries an enormous responsibility and little "cool": reflect truths. Offer the world your eyes, your look clean, your truth. Given that the truths today are commonplace for most people, these tend to be condemned to ostracism. Lying on a daily basis is easy and seductive, Full of color.
I will always remember the day when I decided on the truth as an act of rebellion: I was visiting a patient at home, the 13 age. Just when I arrived, He was helping his father to load corn. Both had gotten old and torn clothes, and they were dirty and barefoot. After several previous visits, He knew that usually did not wear well, they had water to wash clothes in good condition.
Truths today are commonplace for most people and tend to be condemned to ostracism
I made some jokes, and the boy began to laugh. She covered her face with hands, shy, and my subconscious did not think twice; I made a photo. That night, at home, I felt embarrassed. And I considered again the responsibility of looking and which account. He could have uploaded the photo with the headline: "Epileptic, hungry and without a future ", so that would have collected a good handful of comments on social networks. I put in place: How I would feel if someone comes into my house when I'm cleaning (I saw horrible and I look awful) takes the camera and makes me a photo? Leave education and elegance aside, likely. At the next day I printed the picture and took her to the father of the child. I asked permission to use it and paid for it.
Poverty has become a commodity, Gentlemen. It turns out that our predatory society has had enough of drills. The frustration of the modern world, the tedium of fiction, leads to the compulsive pursuit of misery. Perhaps to blame the false belief that misery is true, absolute, but now even that; Now the misery is manipulated and makeup, becoming increasingly melodramatic dyes that are far from, in the words of Lyotard, "Rue sober realism".
The frustration of the modern world, the tedium of fiction, leads to the compulsive pursuit of misery
And Kenya, eg, it is becoming fashionable among the companies safaris offer a route for some slum of Nairobi. Kibera It is the most popular. For a small fee visitors can enjoy a human safari, with the excuse of knowing "another reality of the country" and "sensitized". Tourists can observe the typical poor little black boy smiling, just like on TV, with swollen tummies and eyes infested with flies. Even better: It can take pictures with it and upload them to facebook! It can give them candy and feel that the world is a better place! It will house rested, dark, feeling brave and privileged. Valiente for having dared to go beyond the screen. Privileged because it can boast of the "I've seen and I've been there."
Likely, these tourists feel disappointed to note that the poverty they had imagined differs greatly from poverty live. So they will be forced to embellish the story with some element efectista. And if poverty is not as we have, What poverty means we speak? What poverty tells us people who work with it? How real or imaginary? Is poverty an exotic product? Deluxe? It turns out that many people are interested in poverty happens on the other side of the world.
For a small fee visitors can observe the typical poor little black boy smiling, just like on TV, with swollen tummies and eyes infested with flies
Many people photography poverty Africa and decorate your home with photos of naked and dirty children, but they never adorn their homes with pictures of poverty in their own country, Is it? I put myself sample: I was in Madrid, He was walking down the street Goya and saw a man, Spanish, sitting on the floor with a poster that had he had AIDS, sons, and he had been out of work. I shuddered and went on my way home. I thought that I would not dream take the camera, take a picture, and upload it to facebook. Why? It turns out that what happens in our daily lives is real poverty, our real poverty, of which we are more responsible and we are not immune.
Here in Kenya there is another kind of poverty, with which we feel less identified and, therefore, we can work against it in a cooler and effectively. When we tell a story of a Kenyan child it is a story; when we told the story of a poor man in Madrid, It is pure and hard reality. And man has always tended to romantic stories and distant lands. The man and his hunger, his addiction to distant catastrophe. It is so easy to consume, we have consumed so much, We are so satiated, so boring, we have begun to go beyond respect. The spectacle of hunger. Exoticism of poverty. Gross. What a shame.
It is so easy to consume, we have consumed so much, We are so satiated, so boring, we have begun to go beyond respect
All we can do from here, we count our experiences and our stories, It is forcing us to verify each photo, each text. Remain faithful to the sober realism. Cling to the romantic notion that there are still values, and that much selling tragedies, we are on the side of life.
If you want to know more about Africa Karibuni projects: http://www.karibuniafrica.org/
Comments (7)
Teresa Campoamor
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How true, Mary!! . As you know in Madrid now we have many people living on the streets in tremendous condition and 'How we have come to pass him and enter the next store with the excuse that we really need those jeans or those shoes!!. Poverty has become a part of
skyline and have integrated as the Cibeles and yet we shed tears with what we own and we projected the Tv.
Today participated in a project to collect clothes for a ong africana¡¡¡ see what bring us!! Siga kissing and having this your look so clean.
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publikaccion
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An article as real and raw as is… la pobreza siempre ha sido la excusa esgrimida para solicitar «ayudas» y limpiar «conciencias»…
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MDV
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I'm so glad to read you again here! And we missed you.
And as always stirring consciences…
I think poverty with which you work is very different from poverty to which we started getting used in this country. Here before or after the voices rise and protest and get aid (almost always). There is absolute poverty and widespread misery and cause of many deaths, but it is far away and we do not feel so guilty. On the contrary, el poder hacernos la foto con el niño desnutrido nos hace sentirnos «buenas personas», also because we gave up candy and coins.
It is sad but true. It would be better to follow him with animal safaris and safaris we let ourselves poverty…
Congratulations and as always thanks for making us think.
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R
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The whole reason.
But we have made human safaris you speak of coated paper printed journals of pelu: this or that celebritie or aspiring apprentice this humanitarian mission visiting villages. And we want our little piece of 'good deed’ to expect it dignified pose and false humility.
Very few venture to such incursions in disadvantaged neighborhoods in your area. Or volunteering in soup kitchens, or by visiting elders to help. Regularly.
And truth is that all the drops make the ocean, but maybe it's worth possibilities and constantly measure and not as a single event to help those who, like you, and many other, I constantly and not dedicate yourselves as a single event, to the sincere and courageous support of those who have less.
Since only it is drop, which serves to help fill vessels.
A strong embrace from this silver thread.
Forward.
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diego
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Unfortunately it is how we educate: to realize this must be deseducarse, at least. Anyway, Poor us seem to call anyone who does not follow our patterns of consumption-development (I do not mean those who do not cover basic needs, eye).
I thought the criris of our world would change things; rather than two cars per family one, eg, and use the bike or public transport. It seems that no: we like to persist in error.
A hug and thanks for the article
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Laura
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First of all thanks for the article Mary and make us reflect on our own reality.
Reason that putting together the poverty in our country and far, as if ours was not as hard, in another context, but poverty and to the cabo.Porque we are ashamed to admit that a few meters from our house there are people who do not have to meet basic needs and reflect, no longer an obscenity that makes us feel we incómodxs and escuece.
But, if it comes from a distant country, that it does not happen, there is too much I feel like our distancia..para.
I am moved by the embarrassment showing the child feels about the fact of their worst clothes and unwashed, something that happens to us when we caught anyone by surprise.
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Annonymous
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As always, you are the best
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