Haiti: The Current Crisis

To me this photo by Salgado is a reminder of the countless people affected by the recent Haiti earthquake. Over 3 million people have been affected, with over 150,000 deaths. Every day bodies are pulled from the rubble with the likelihood of survivors diminishing with every passing second. Although many are trying to assist in the relief efforts, disorganization and complete destruction of the infrastructure are making things near impossible. The fact that Haiti is regarded as the poorest country in the western hemisphere makes things all the worse. Thousands of children are left roaming the broken cities with nothing. They are in our minds and in our prayers, but without guardians they find themselves vulnerable to starvation, dehydration, and abuse. The efforts to give food to these people are far from efficient, and medical teams have neither the equipment nor the space to assist everyone. This disorganization does not deter however, as thousands are helping both in the immediate area and from home.

Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture Foundation, Inc.: New York, 2000. 297.

Chitwan Bhatia. Haiti Disaster-No End to the Suffering in Sight. MeriNews. Web. 1-27-10. http://www.merinews.com/article/haiti-disaster---no-end-to-the-suffering-in-sight/15795739.shtml

One Disease at a Time

Well, I guess for my first real post, one beyond introductions and greetings, I will stick with something familiar to myself and the rest of my English class. This photo by Sebastião Salgado depicts a Polio Clinic. In the foreground there is a woman strapping braces to a pair of small inept legs. In the background there is a second woman; this one holding a pair of new sneakers. My attention is drawn to this second woman. She appears to be concerned for the young boy as she safely guards what would seemingly be his shoes. She probably is very close to the boy and wants only the best for him. To me this symbolizes the efforts to bring western medicine and techniques to refugees throughout the less developed regions of the world. It is clinics like these that will bring a brighter tomorrow. Salgado, while working with Groups like WHO, UNICEF, and the CDC has helped bring mass polio vaccinations to countries like Pakistan, India, and Sudan to name a few. Since 1988 the efforts of Salgado have helped to reduce polio by 99 %. As of 2006 only four countries still have the Polio endemic. Because of the complete commitment of Salgado, a once great endemic has been reduced almost to nothing. In a few short years maybe Polio can be completely eradicated, but in the meantime we must do our part. Although we can’t all quit our jobs and head around the world to help firsthand, we can contribute to organizations that are leading the good fight, and spread the word.

“The End of Polio: Photographs of Sebastião Salgado Opens to Public.” CDC Online Newsroom. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 August 2007. Web. 20 January 2010.

Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture Foundation, Inc.: New York, 2000. 78.

Reason Behind the Blog

This photo was taken by Sebastiao Salgado, a Brazilian photographer who has dedicated his work to helping those people who are not in a situation to help themselves. Salgado brings strong emotions to his audience by documenting the rarely seen conditions of his subjects. Through the next 4 months I will explore the lives and hardships of these refugees through Salado’s work. The purpose is to try and use a combination of rhetoric and photography to help you, the audience of this blog, to connect with these people. We have been blessed to have rhetoric which is in and of itself a form of art. With this great blessing comes also the responsibility to help people by using it for good. By making these topics personal to myself and others, it is my hope that we can strengthen our efforts to help refugees escape the perilous hardships that they face.

Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture Foundation, Inc.: New York, 2000. 155.

This is me

I am Maine. Born and raised there, I love the seafood, the people, and the weather. There is nothing better than a foot and a half of new snow, or a freshly steamed lobster. It is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and I can proudly say it is my home.