In a moving tribute to the powerful role of photojournalism and the invaluable service the press provides in raising awareness of what is going on in the world around us, celebrated American photographer James Nachtwey said that the stories captured by individuals in the pursuit of truth are a testimony to the events they have witnessed, which must not be forgotten or repeated.
Speaking at the concluding session of the sixth Xposure International Photography Festival, which ended yesterday (Tuesday) at Expo Centre Sharjah, Nachtwey, who has documented conflict and the dark side of humanity for more than four decades, made a powerful call to photographers to be a force for the sharing of the human experience and a positive tool for change.
In the session titled, “A perspective on visual journalism in an era of social media and ‘alternative facts’”, Nachtwey, who calls himself an antiwar photographer, said: “Information is power and in a free society, if powers emanate from the people, then access to accurate, timely and unbiased information is fundamental to freedom.”
Discussing the American experience, he said that the onslaught of fake news and alternative facts, often by those in power, “sabotage the vital pillar of democracy – the press, and in turn, the truth.”
“Stories are built on facts; and it must be perceived that way by the public. Public trust is built on truthfulness and transparency. To deflect the public away from the truth would compromise the integrity of journalism,” said Nachtwey.
Elaborating on the emergence of social media and alternative news—which are free from the responsibilities and accountability of a legitimate press, he said: “Social media as a form of mass communication has become so pervasive, unrestrained and enormous that it defies definition just as it defies regulation.” Despite this, the new form of media offers originality, a fresh point of view, has the power to unite and mobilise people, and often reach where journalists cannot, he added.
During his presentation, Nachtwey shared a selection of haunting photographs taken over the decades from conflict zones; pictures that depict the horrors of war, confrontations, famines, genocide, and social issues around the globe. He said: “Photographers go to the extreme edges of human experience to show people what's going on. A war photo can also be an anti-war photo. War creates a new reality where the unacceptable becomes acceptable; and then, it becomes the new normal.”
“Photographs have the power to make human connections across time and space; they enter our collective memory and our collective conscience,” said Nachtwey as he shared images of the fall of Berlin, the genocide in Rwanda, gulags in Romania, famine and disease in Sudan, the impact of Agent Orange on the Vietnamese people, the siege of Kabul, the war in Iraq, and more.
“I have been to the darkest places,” he said, describing the mass graves in Zaire, and lamented the state- sanctioned cruelty in several countries, which, he added, is every bit as devastating as the violence of war.
He said: “These photographs are fragments of memories captured in the continuum of history that I experienced. I hope these pictures will stand as a remembrance of the conditions the people in these images have endured; remind us of how these conditions came to be.”
“I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. Let us not forget,” concluded Nachtwey.
