|
|
04 / 06 / 2004
The dialogue “Health and development” hosts two photography exhibitions on landmine victims in Cambodia and saharan refugee camps
From June 5-9, as part of the Forum Dialogue “Health and Development Challenges for the 21st Century” there will be two photography exhibits in room 116 of the Convention Center of Barcelona.
Both displays try to bring us closer to the reality people live, enjoy and suffer in Cambodia and the desert of Southern Algeria, through images of their lives reflected in glances, faces, bodies, expressions, situations and smiles.
The first exhibition is “Cambodia: A Path Toward Life.” It came out of the personal and professional experience of two photographers; Alvaro Felgueroso and Isabel Muñoz and presents images of the Cambodian population who have been left disabled by landmines and people infected with HIV who do not have access to medication. The images were taken with the goal of expressing the life and suffering of these people, without being overdramatic but reflecting a reality that the artists felt moved by and wanted to transmit
The section on AIDS “Aids is not the same for Everyone” reminds us that according to the UNESCO report, 2.6% of the inhabitants of Cambodia are HIV positive, and 60% of the prostitutes are infected, however in the last five years only 1000 antivirus treatments have arrived to Cambodia, about 200 a year.
Isabel Muñoz, author of this part of the exhibition, explained that “these photographs were taken during two different trips with an interval of 5 months in the hospital for terminal Aids patients Norodom Sihanouk. When I arrived the second time, the patients I had photographed the first time had died, except for a traditional medicine doctor who had a son while I was gone; the child is also HIV positive.”
The second exhibition is called “A Smart, Strong Woman is a Village” and is designed by Grup d’Acció Solidària Internacional (GASI) (Group for International Solidarity. This is a non-governmental health organization that began in the 80s at the Municipal Hospitals of Barcelona. After 15 years of collaborating in Saharan refugee camps, we are in a paradoxical situation, that some observers have described as “neither war nor peace” in which the refugee population are hostages in the conflict and the women and children suffer the lack of international aid (UN Food Program), which have notably reduced their contributions in the last years.
All this has added to the uncertainty of returning to their homeland and the lack of alternatives for young people born in exile. “As a result the situation critical. We have all become committed and we try to mobilize and work on the most involving project possible”
|
|
|
Send to a friend
print