Table Of ContentPHOTOGRAPHY
ACTIVISM
AS
Michelle Bogre
PHOTOGRAPHY
ACTIVISM
AS
IMAGES FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
AMSTERDAM (cid:129) BOSTON (cid:129) HEIDELBERG (cid:129) LONDON
NEW YORK (cid:129) OXFORD (cid:129) PARIS (cid:129) SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO (cid:129) SINGAPORE (cid:129) SYDNEY (cid:129) TOKYO
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viii PhotographyasActivism
Acknowledgments
Thisbookowesitsexistencetothemanypeoplewhoencouragedand
supportedme.So,innoparticularorder,Iexpressmydeepgratitudeto
KyleGarson,thesmartestandmostableassistantanyauthorcouldever
have;JonathanTorgovnik,whobecameafriendthroughthisprocess
andwhoseenthusiasmforthebookkeptmegoingwhenIdoubtedmyself;
allthephotographers,editors,andNGOprofessionalswhogavemetheir
timeandtheirinsights;toeveryonewhoworkedwithmetomakesurethat
Iwasabletopublishasmanyphotographsaspossible;CaraSt.Hilaire
andStaceyWalkeratFocalPress,whoenthusiasticallyembracedthis
projectevenwhenImisseddeadlines;andfinallytomyfriendsandfamily
whowillbehappytoneveragainhearthephrase,“Ican’t,Ihavetowork
onmybook.”
Dedication
Thisbookisdedicatedtoallactivistphotographers,past,present,andfuture.
I N T R O D U C T I O N
FIGURE0.1 AlemaRose,AlerIDPCamp,Uganda,2006. #HeatherMcClintockfromNorthernUganda,2006
©2012MichelleBogre.PublishedbyElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.
xii PhotographyasActivism
“fiduciarytrust,”explainedinhisSecondTreatiseofGovernment.
TherearetwothingsIwantedtodo.Iwantedtoshowthethingsthathad
ALockeancitizen—the“citizentrustor”—isendowedwithmoralacumen
tobecorrected.Iwantedtoshowthethingsthathadtobeappreciated.
andisobligatedtodetectbreachesinthefiduciarytrust.Lockedidnot
LewisWickesHine
considerthiscivilengagementtobeachoice:“[a]severymanhasapower
topunishthecrime,topreventitsbeingcommittedagain,bytheright
Thisbookaimstoexaminethecomplexityofactivistphotography, hehasofpreservingallmankindanddoingallreasonablethingshecanin
philosophically,historically,andasitiscurrentlypracticed.Inthis ordertothatend.”3Inthesepassages,Lockedefineda“crime”asany
book,thewordactivismisinterchangeablewithadvocacy. Activism,as violationofnaturallaw.Withthatdefinition,maybeweshouldconsider
usedthroughout,doesnotrefertostridentpoliticalaction,thecommon anactivistphotographertodayasacontemporaryversionofLocke’s
inferenceinEurope.Anactivistphotographcanbesubtleandpersuasive, citizentrustor,anengagedcitizenwithacamera,evervigilantforthose
oritcanbeconfrontational.Thisbookwillexploreboth.Activist timeswhenfairnessandequityarebeingviolatedbythestate.Rather
photographyisintentandprocess.Itisanactandafilterthroughwhicha thanusingthepowerofthecamerato“punish”thecrime,anactivist
photographerperceivestheworld.Itisapassionatevoiceandamoral photographercapturesit,freezesit,andimmortalizesitsoitbecomes
vision.“Sometimesitistheresponsibilityofthephotographertomakea evidenceofthecrime,showingthethingthathastobecorrected.
callforaction,”saysaward-winningphotographerJonathanTorgovnik, Surelytoday,fairnessandequityarebeingviolatedtodegrees
bestknownforhisprojectIntendedConsequences,aboutthemassrape unimaginableinasupposedlyevolvedtwenty-first-centuryworld.For
ofTutsiwomenduringtheRwandagenocidein1994(Figure0.2).1 example,morethanthreebillionpeopleintheworldliveonlessthan
Torgovnik’sowncalltoactionoccurredonassignmentforNewsweek $2.50aday.Morethanonebillionpeoplelackaccesstocleanwater,and
magazinewhenhewasphotographingTutsiwomenwhohadcontracted almostthreebillionlackbasicsanitation.InRwandain1994,injust100
AIDSasaconsequenceofbeingrapedbytheHutusintheaftermathofthe days,Hutusslaughtered800,000oftheirfellowTutsisandbrutallygang
Rwandagenocide.Torgovnikrealizedthattherealstorywasthe rapedthousandsofTutsiwomen.Today,intheDemocraticRepublicof
complicatedrelationshipthatthesewomenhadwiththechildrenthey theCongo,theUnitedNationspeacekeepingforcesarepowerlesstostop
boreasaconsequenceoftherape.HereturnedtoRwandatoproducea thesystemicrapeofwomen(inonetown,Shabunda,70percentofthe
photoessayonthosewomenandtheirchildren,butwassomovedby womenreportedbeingraped).4Morethan27millionpeoplearemodern-
thestoriestheytoldhimthatwhenhereturnedtoNewYorkCity,he dayslaves.Morethanonemillionchildrenareexploitedbytheglobal
formedFoundationRwanda.2Todate,FoundationRwandahasraised commercialsextradeannually,andmorethan800,000peopleare
morethanamilliondollarstohelppayforthesecondary-schooleducation traffickedacrossinternationalborderseveryyear(Figure0.3).5Andthese
ofthesechildrenbornofrape.Anactivistphotographersuchas arejustafewexamples.Inaslightrewritetothefamousquoteattributed
Torgovnikcannotnotseetheworldinpoliticalterms.Heisdrivenboth toMaryHarris“Mother”Jones—Don’tmourn,photograph6—these
byhistoryandthedesiretochangeaninequity,underscoredbythe activistcitizentrustorsseekoutthethingsthatneedtobecorrected,
beliefthatitcanbechanged. andtheworldneedsthemtodothat.
Whyaresomephotographersdriventochange,willinglyputting NotedGermanphilosopherJu¨rgenHabermaspositedthatpolitical
themselvesindifficultanddangeroussituationstodocumentthe“thing” moralityisredemptiveandthatethicalactivismdrivessocialevolutionor
thatmustbecorrected?Philosophershavecontemplatedthequestionof socialchange.Ifpoliticalmoralityisredemptive,thenperhaps
activismfromtheperspectiveofcivilengagement.Somesuggestthat redemptionunderliesactivismintendedtoengendersocialchange.While
activismhasethicalundertones,basedonJohnLocke’sideasofthe somecriticsorcynicswouldsuggestthatadegreeofself-abnegation
Introduction xiii
FIGURE0.2 JonathanTorgovnik,UntitledfromIntendedConsequences. #JonathanTorgovnik/Reportage
xiv PhotographyasActivism
FIGURE0.3 DanaPopa,UntitledfromNotNatasha. ImagecourtesyofDanaPopa
drivesmostactivistintent,self-abnegationisapejorativecriticism. change”evenifhedidn’tseetheresult.Forhim,asothers,activism
Totheextentthatcauses,concerns,andissuesextendbeyondthe ismoreaboutthemeansthantheend.Theendisapromisethatactivists
sphereofone’sownlife,it’salsopossiblethatactivistsbelievethat seldomsee.
whatbenefitssocietyalsobenefitsthem.Soacceptingthedifficulty Becausephotographsworkinseveralregistersofritualand
anddangerinherentinmostconflictsituationsinthequestofthe response,employingphotographyasanactivisttoolisnotanewconceit.
photographisn’tself-sacrificing;itisbeinganengagedcitizen. Almostfromthetimeitwasinvented,photographywasrecognizedby
“Itisourresponsibilitytodosomethingbecausewelivehere.Itis bothphotographersandsocialactivistsasagreat“activist”toolforpeople
anethicalissueofconscience,”saidLarryTowell,7aself-proclaimed whowantedtoexposesocialinjustices.Activistsandreformersused
activistphotographer,duringapaneldiscussiononhumanrights thecameraasaresearchtoolandasaninstrumentforsocialreform,as
photographyatNewYorkUniversity.8Towell,whohasspenthis thisbookwillexplore.Somehistoriansthinkthatthefirst“activist”
careerfocusingonhumanrights,alsonotedthathedidn’tthinkhe’d imageswerecalotypesmadein1840bytheScotsteamofDavidOctavius
“changedanything,”butthatdidn’tmattertohim.Hedescribed HillandRobertAdamson(knowngenerallyasHillandAdamson)in
successinhumanrightsreportageas“beinginvolvedintheprocessof Newhaven,Scotland,asmallfishingvillageoutsideEdinburgh.Although
Description:You want to look through the lens of your camera and change the world. You want to capture powerful moments in one click that will impact the minds of other people. Photographic images are one of the most popular tools used to advocate for social and environmental awareness. This can be as close to
