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Wednesday, July 13, 2005

"express train to hell"

Good news for people O bore,I will not talk too much about politics in spite of London and all what is going on..I am late for that and a lot has been said allready.Recentley I saw a documentary on TV5 ( thanks to the satellite dish),it'sa french channel but the documentary was in english with french subtitles.It was called war photography, and was about an American photographer called James Nachtwey. I know little about journalists and photographer, but the documentary had some og the world's most famous and important journalists commenting on Nachwey ( like Amanpour from CNN for example).He is a legend. A mysteri. If you ever think about human brave journalism,that insist on being human first of all..Than you have to think about him. The documentary really moved me.There is so much to say..I can't tell it all, aand not at all as well. When you hear so much bad things, war, greed, violence, you get too tired after a while and need to forget it, even though I always feel really horrible about that, I even feel that I am an evil person,cause if others have to LIVE that horror, why should I be not only spared,all though I am just a human like them, but even have the luxury of not bothering and "boring" myself with the "heavey" news..Noone can understand how Nachtwey can just go on and on and on..How he finds the stregth, allthough he have encountered so many dangers. A journalist talked about the tragedies in Indonesia some years ago when different religiousor ethnic groupes attacked each other. When a very angry groupe chaseddd 3 people (just cause)belonging to a certain another religion,killed too and were chasing and hunting the third who wasrunnig for his life..on the streets. All journalists said I am not part of this,they just took pictures from safe distance. Nachtwey being him could be no else but very close, running too, and standing on both his knees and arme begging all he could so the groupe, the mob,would'nt kill this man just cause he was from that religion.Ofcourse they killed hin anyway. He talked about that with his calm mild voice, how they were hurting and chasing him like a cat do with a rat..enjoying to "play" with him like that. He also talked about Ruwanda, a place that most media, have not given enough attention. and the place that was one of the most horrible things he have seen. I coudn't beleive how low humans and humanity can sink..When the hutu ( if I remember the name correctly) were finally defeated big masses of them fled to other countries,and there so many died a horrible death by starvation. Many of those who died were the people who commited the horrors in Ruwanda, and Nachtwey commented "it was like taking the express train to hell".If you ever think that wars have nothing to do with other big misery in the world you are wrong.Hunger and poverty in the most big coomonplaces in the worlds, that Nachtwey covered very good have everything to do with it. And speaking about injustice in the world..Ofcourse Palestine was there too.In these times..London..And all other things..I realley needed to know and hear about people like Nachtwey.

4 Comments:

At 2:26 PM, matthias s. klein* said...

ya caterine,

glad to see your computer has been brought back from the dead. or are you posting from another machine...?

your post reminded me of the saying "ignorance is bliss". ironically, we are all fighting against ignorance, for the education of others, for the dissemination of information, of pictures, etc.

but sometimes knowing something, or knowing of something can be sickening, either if it's just too hard to read about or watch - like rwanda. or if it's a tragedy where you cannot help - like the tsunami. or, and i think that's the worst case, if it's a tragedy which is so obviously unnecessary, where there ARE solutions, but where not enough people are listening - like when it comes to AIDS, or child laborers, or palestine...

and then i sometimes think that i would feel better if i didn't even know about all these things, if i was just some ignorant person living an ignorant life...

oh well, too late now.

yet, still ... today the sun was shining & my friends and i were laughing & the food was good & the world is not always dark & gloomy.

enjoy the summer! where are you traveling to?

ciao,

--matthias*

 
At 11:35 PM, Damascene said...

ِThinking too much about the horrible things that are happening in the world will only bring us fear, insecurity, and depression. That's why many people try not to hear about the massacres, genocides, poverty...etc

It is really for us, regular people with no power, to help other countries where wars and poverty take place.
At least, we could start improving ourselves and our countries. In this way, we would be able to influence others and maybe help them in any other way we could.

But for now, I think we should concentrate more on our own country... That might be selfish to say, but I believe that when we are more developed and powerful, we could be more of a help to our people and everybody else.

 
At 11:41 PM, Dody G. said...

"But for now, I think we should concentrate more on our own country..."

A lot of developing countries will do well if they follow your advice. By concentranting developing your own country, it lessen the burden of international community. If you don't need help, it's one less country to worry about.

 
At 12:21 PM, Catherine said...

Interesting points of views from all.I agree with all..And yet will add some things, in this place we should concentrate on ourselves a lot cause there is a lot to hope for and want and do, but also..As a human, I always felt that I am no better than any one of those in Palestine or Ruwanda..if they had and have no choive but to live all their cruel suffering, than the least i can do, if there would be any hope for good humanity to do any thing..is to not get too bored just of knowing the heavey fact..That's not a lot compared to really living it..That's my personal opinion. and one thing else too..you can watch some short breive news all days long..But when you see more human detailed, personal stories( out of many of course)..Even if it's only once ever 6 monthes or so..It gives more, much more. Thanks for the concern about my sick computer, it is still sick..I am too lazy to try to fix it yet,I have not traveled yet but I am hoping I will make it to visit the real thing, Lattakia, the sea, the beach, instead of just some pools aroound Damascus..
I am still writing from another conputer, less often..But " I will be back!" :)

 

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