I stared at this
photograph for a few good minutes before I could quite figure out what was
wrong with it. There are the apparent things, like the fact that these women obviously
have to walk for a while to get water and that they either live in tents or in
ramshackle buildings, but I’ve been looking at photographs like this for a
while and now those things don’t stand out as much.
What really
stood out was how short the women were. They have normal proportions, so they
can’t be little people. When I realized why these women were so small I was
shocked.
These women lost
their legs in landmines and now they walk on their knees.
Although Angola,
the country that these women live in, is “potentially one of Africa’s richest
countries” (Salgado), the civil war that plagued the country from 1975 until
2002 has made that potential nearly impossible (Talbot). Over 500,000 people
were killed, many of whom were civilians, and this war was backed by the U.S.
as an extension of the cold war, with pro and anti communism as the main
political ideologies (Hurst).
One of the
tactics of the war was to plant landmines. In 2004, there were still over six
million landmines scattered all over Angola, with a new incident occurring
every four days (“Humanitarian”). This photograph was taken in 1997, when the
number of incidents each day was much larger.
I have never
heard of the Angolan Civil War. I have never seen so many amputees as I have in
Salgado’s photographs. I have never seen so much pain. And I’ll bet that most
of you haven’t either.
"Humanitarian News and Analysis." IRINnews.
N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
Hurst, Ryan. "Angolan Civil War
(1975-2002) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed." Angolan
Civil War (1975-2002) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
Salgado, Sebastião. Migrations. New York: Aperture. 226. Print.
Talbot, Ann. "World
Socialist Web Site." The Angolan Civil War and US Foreign Policy -.
N.p., 13
Apr. 2002. Web. 26 Feb. 2013
Wow. I didn't even realize that these women were missing their lower legs until you pointed it out. I think it is interesting how their daily schedule hasn't seemed to change, even with their disability: they are still performing the work that needs to get done. It also makes me think of the medical programs they have in areas like this. The process to repair what was left of their legs after the accident would not, in my opinion, be a pleasant one. The comparison between how a surgery would go and feel in a country like America wouldn't even compare. These women have gone through so much, both physically and emotionally, and are forced to live with that every day.
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