The story and picture can be found here
It has been almost eight years since the Afghan girl's true identity was discovered, and 26 years since the original picture was taken. I've seen the picture of the Afghan girl many times and am always struck by how great a picture it is and how beautiful the girl's eyes are. I have also seen the picture of her much older self and am struck by how time has not been particularly good to her. It is understandable. She has had a rough life of refugee camps, hard work, poverty, a harsh environment, and probably has several children. It is sad that women like this become concealed behind the veil from the time they are teenagers throughout the rest of their lives.
This woman's picture inspired many to donate to building schools and improving the quality of life in Afghanistan. Who knows how many other women and girls are out there with similar stories that will never be heard because of an oppressive culture? It makes me sad for them and thankful for my culture all at the same time. Chances are, though, that she doesn't want us to feel sorry for her because she doesn't know anything else. Yes, she realizes she's poor and would like more money for things and a big nice house, but that's likely where her aspirations end. Even if she was given the opportunity to move to America or England and start a new life, shed the burqa and move on, she would likely turn it down. Very few people relish the idea of having their world turned upside down.
Pictures are amazing things that give us the opportunity to relive a moment, to experience things we've never actually seen, and to meet people we've never really met. National Geographic pictures do this better than most, and honestly I wouldn't subscribe to the magazine if it didn't have those wonderful pictures. Oddly enough, even when I get the chance to visit places I've seen pictures of in NG, it doesn't always look as great in real life as the picture made it seem. I suppose we romanticize things we aren't actually experiencing. A picture of the desert may look pretty, but once you're there and dealing with the heat, dust, sun, and wildlife it is a whole different situation. My pictures seem to turn out the opposite. Nothing I take a picture of is ever as awesome (or horrible) as it was when I was there experiencing it. I guess that's the mark of a true photographer; taking an experience and making the picture so much better. For now I guess I'll stick to letting others take the pictures.
I realize this is a disjointed post of ideas, but one idea led to another and I just went with it.
1 comment:
I know you're getting at something different in your post, but here's what these pictures drive home for me.
This girl isn't just a still life posed for a picture. She, and everyone like her, are real people like us, who have real lives that begin somewhere with a lot of hope, continue through a lot of happiness and a lot of sadness, and end the same way for all of us.
It strikes me as really sad that, knowing all of this, people can do the terrible things they do to each other. I guess I'm a pessimist :(
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