I come from Vietnam- a country suffered from many wars, especially The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War. When I grew up, my country's economy began recovering and growing rapidly. However, I still heard some stories about Vietnam in the war from the elders. They told about refugees, starvation, poverty and even how people tried to migrate to the USA. I don't see the immigration situation as a big problem but Salgado's photograph has changed my mind. Through the images of the Third World, Salgado raised my awareness about my responsibility.
Sebastian Salgado was born in Aimorés, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. At first, his job was an economist, then Salgado began his career in Paris as a professional photographer in 1973. What makes Salgado's photographs become unique is the exposition on the other side of the world. He doesn't taking photographs from the beautiful life as people usually do but rather focuses on "the dark side of humanity". Salgado travels throughout the world for his photographic projects which have been featured in numerous international periodicals as well as books, including Other Americas (1986), Sahel: l’homme en détresse (1986), Workers (1993), Terra (1997), Migrations (2000), and The Children (2000).
Every week, I will spend time writing comments about his photographs in order to let people know how the other side of the world actually look like. Hopefully, I can awake somebody to the sense of duty.
Works Cited
Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture. New York, 2000. 78
"Sebastiao Salgado, Africa". Taschen. Web. 14 Jan. 2010.
"Sebastiao Salgado, Africa". Taschen. Web. 14 Jan. 2010.
Good, My Do! It made me want to learn more about what kind of experiences you had and what kind of people you met in Vietnam. You may have some met some people who have gone through something like what we are trying to imagine as a class with the Salgado photos.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!
I think it is awesome how you incorporated your personal experiences with Salgado's experiences, and described how his pictures changed your knowledge and view of refugees around the world. It shows the reader the change you want to see in them and encourages them make changes of their own. I think too many people view refugees as a thing of the past or an ancient problem, but like you said, it is a very real problem that affects people in every country today.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent post. Thank you.
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