Many of you would recognize this heart-wrenching photo taken during the Sudan famine in 1994. It won South African photojournalist Kelvin Carter the Pulitzer prize, a prestigious award in photography. Captured in the photo are a child crawling towards a UN food camp few kms away and a vulture waiting for the child to die, so that it can eat her. Whether the child survived is not known to anyone, including the photographer who fled the place the minute the picture was taken. It is learnt that he later revealed to friends that he wished he had saved the child. Even though these journalists were warned not to touch the famine victims for the fear of contracting diseases, Carter himself felt afterwards that he could and should have done something more humanitarian. Three months after winning the Pulitzer prize, he committed suicide out of depression.
The sole purpose behind commemorating this decade-old story is to get all of us – including myself – to ask ourselves the same old question one more time: Do we still want to be silent spectators? For those linked to India, it’s problems galore here with farmers committing suicide, prises rising to an all-time high [hitting the poor the hardest] and what not. All of this is on top of the global, burning problem of climate change. For how much longer, will we keep our ears closed to the voice of our conscience? The world is sick and it’s our job to heal it. For those tired of silently spectating, here are some ways of contributing towards a just & sustainable world.
Filed under: General Issues | Tagged: a child and a vulture, depression, famine, heal the world, Kelvin Carter, Pulitzer prize, silent spectator, sudane, suicide, valture waiting for the child to die
Sej,
I first saw this photo in June 2008. There was a request by the London Times for essays on the subject “What is wrong with the world.” As the story goes, after receiving hundreds of replies, the one that was selected as the winning essays was comprised of only two words, “I am”. I know that if that child were crawling across a populated area, practically everyone would try to help. The fact is that no one sees that child or hears the child cry. If they did, people would act. But people are distracted with all the noise of this world. The child needs someone to make more noise than the world does, needs to bring the child to their attention, needs to be their advocate. I don’t know what I was doing that day the picture was taken but whatever I was doing wasn’t enough to prevent this child from her starvation. While I cannot undo that day, I can do today better and bring focus onto the children that need.
Robbie Donno
Gift of Life International, Inc.
this is indeed is a shocking story, it tells how we as human have turned to be animals too. it sad seing a soul dying with our eyes opened. with this photo alone it has made me to take a decision. to help young kids crying out from the desert. in few months am gonna be launching an organisation which am the CEO. we also working with kids for the community but wanting to reach out to the nation as well. this has encouraged me.
Scared of strong opinions i am,
Don’t even know if
Mine is right or yours
Caught in a tug of war of emotions
Ropes being a rubber band
How much do I stretch?
Before it breaks
Blurred perspective of things,
Tales of sadness they sing,
It’s just the my fears
Flowing out as tears
Truly moving creation bro!