Emilio Morenatti’s incredible image of a refugee boy stirred a bit of controversy at the time of its publication in 2009. Questions concerning the ethics and morality of creating beautiful images of suffering arose as they do periodically with conflict photography.
I am able to divorce myself from such questions in this instance because I am stunned by this image and have not yet moved on from this initial reaction.
Image caption from Time Magazine:
A displaced Pakistani boy from the Swat valley sleeps under a mosquito net outside his tent at the Jalozai refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan.
Pesawar, Pakistan © Emilio Morenatti / AP
Perhaps I’m a Pollyanna, but I think that photos like this remind us that even in the midst of horror, there can be a moment of grace, a moment of hope. To me, that seems like an important thing to hold on to if we want to keep up the good fight.
Well put and not Pollyanna at all. Or if it is, then I am equally guilty.
Doug