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Photo credit: Sebastiao SalgadoWith nowhere else to go, these Rwandan Tutsis (one of several tribes that live in the country of Rwanda, in Africa) walk onward to the nearest refugee camp in the area. Most of the population of Rwanda is made up of a tribe known as Hutu. For centuries these two tribes (Tutsi and Hutu) have lived together in relative harmony. However, recent decades have put a striking rift of animosity between them. When an airplane, carrying the president of Rwanda, was shot down on the 6th of April 1994, a chain of events was triggered that led to the awful scene of genocide on this African land. A genocide which would take the lives of about 1 million people.
This particular picture stands out to me because of its great imagery. It looks as though these refugees are walking out of a giant dust storm. They have taken whatever they can and left the chaos and terror behind them. Heavy laden, they walk towards an unknown and bleak future; asking a curious question: are we really moving forward?
Works Cited:
Salgado, Sebastiao. Pamphlet. "Rwandans Take Refuge In Tanzania." Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture: New York, 2000. 11. Print.
"Rwanda 1994." Talking About Genocide- Genocide. Peace Pledge Union Information, n.d. Peace Pledge Union. Web. 3 Feb 2010.
Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture: New York, 2000. 171.
I like this Will. You did a good job giving a background about the photograph. This may sound stupid but I didn't know about the President's plane being shot down so I'm glad you included that in your post. This picture is great and I like how you referenced the dust in the background. It really does look like they're emerging from a type of "hell". Great question at the end too. Who's to say if the place they're heading is any better than what they're leaving behind?
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