Kevin Carter’s winning photo shows a heart-breaking scene of a starving child collapsed on the ground, struggling to get to a food center during a famine in the Sudan in 1993.In the background, a vulture stalks the emaciated child.
The incredibly powerful image graphically illustrated the terrible plight of those inflicted by desperate poverty. Even the most hard-hearted individual is likely to be affected by the photograph. For most people, there is an instinctive desire to somehow reach out and rescue the child from her terrible situation. Thus, it is not surprising that the photograph won such a prestigious award-the Pulitzer Award.
After the photograph was published in the New York Times, he became world famous and helped to raise awareness of global poverty.
However, Carter was condemned for taking the photograph and leaving the scene rather than actually helping the child.
The newspaper was swamped with letters and telephone calls, many asking what had happened to the child.
Every one asked what happened to the Child? And Kevin Carter faced fierce criticism for abandoning the child.
The weight and responsibility towards what he owed the child would be something he carried in his soul for the rest of his life. He became tormented.
Afterwards he became tormented and deeply troubled man .Several months after receiving the Pulitzer for Kevin carter returned to Africa, where he committed suicide.
This was found in his diary,
Dear God, I pray that we will be more sensitive towards the world around us and not be blinded by our own selfish nature and interests. I hope this picture will always serve as a reminder to us that how fortunate we are and that we must never ever take things for granted.
Are we like Kevin Carter?
When one see suffering and violence around us, even in the face of danger, we should try to intervene .We tend to be on lookers not getting involved in any crisis.
This applies to individuals and institutions alike, if anyone taking advantage of the ill, the suffering, the dying, it\’s a human cruelty. Instead of not only praying to God in these adversities, like Kevin Carter did, we should do something.
Think for a moment-What ever job you do, are you like Kevin carter?
Are you an observer rather than a participant?
A time to make a self analysis….
