LA_ACE, Online lesson 7

I am chose to work on the picture of the albino child with the other boys in the background. I find the picture very moving yet disturbing. It shows the negative effects of war such as famine and starvation. The skinny limbs of the children are evokes sympathy for them. Most of them are suffering from Kwashiorkor, a symptom that arises because of malnutrition. The albino child has a very depressed and weak look on his face. His ragged clothes depicts the extreme poverty thst has struck the country. The Biafran war was waged between the armies of two states, however, the civillians were the ones who suffere the most in that war. a total of more than a million civillians died and there was massive famine throughout the nation. The wellbeing of innocent women and children were not taken into consideration as the two nations fought. Photographer Don McCullin heard of the situation and felt compelled to take photographs of these children and women to show the world of the injustices that war causes. The war deprived these children of a proper chilhood, instead, subjecting them to all sorts of medical conditions that could stay with them for the rest of their lives. The picture of the albino child with the other malnourished children shows of the effects of war more than any picture of the destrauction of buildings or soldiers fighting. If I were to put myself in the shoes of photographer Don McCullin, I would imagine that being in a shelter with these little children would be a very shocking and heart-breaking experience. The atmosphere would definitely be very tense as I would not know what to do  and I could not do anything to help them. In fact, I would not even dare to take this picture of the children.