UN-sponsored photo exhibit by children of Beslan opens today
Nearly one year after the bloody siege of School No. 1 in Beslan shattered the small town in southern Russia and left some 330 people dead, half of them children, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has helped mount an exhibition of nearly 100 photographs vividly depicting their pain, grief and hopes for the future.
Nearly one year after the bloody siege of School No. 1 in Beslan shattered the small town in southern Russia and left some 330 people dead, half of them children, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has helped mount an exhibition of nearly 100 photographs vividly depicting their pain, grief and hopes for the future.
The exhibition, “Children Are the Most Precious Thing in the World,” opened today and will run until 9 September. It features the reflections of 13 children on the aftermath of the three-day siege during which over 1,000 people were held hostage in the school gym without food or water, ending in terrible carnage.
The children aged 13 to 18 – five of whom were hostages during the siege – took part in the workshop from 22-28 July and learned about photography and writing from UNICEF photographer Giacomo Pirozzi and journalist John Varoli before going out into Beslan to produce their own photos and stories.
The emotional toll on the town is still apparent one year later and UNICEF is concerned that many people may never fully recover from the loss without long-term help to move forward in their lives.
During the workshop, Mr. Pirozzi showed the children images of other children who had experienced tragedy, including AIDS sufferers in Africa and tsunami victims in Asia. Originally intended to illustrate photographic techniques, the shots provoked a strong response among the children, with a dawning realization that grief and hope can co-exist.
He subsequently showed his own photos of the aftermath of the Beslan tragedy, which were received by the children in absolute silence. Surprisingly, they decided to go back to School No. 1 and look at the scene with their new camera "eyes." UNICEF’s initial reservations were overcome by the determination of the children themselves.
The children also decided to visit the graveyard, some of the bereaved families, one of the new schools being built in Beslan and the Rehabilitation Centre itself. They also decided to capture their own optimism with a series of photos on the theme of "Joy and Love."
“It was at this point that it ceased to be simply a photography workshop and become a profound form of therapy,” said Mr. Pirozzi. “The children became determined to face the horror and ended up with beautiful photos full of colour, especially their photos on `Joy and Love.’”