These Kind Of Pictures, What Do They Accomplish?

[Murax]

You have the Wife of the Turkish Prime Minister with a ear to ear smile holding up a naked, malnourished baby. You also have the Turkish President holding up another one having a casual conversation like its nothing. With the Drought in Somalia I just wonder what do these sort of wierd photo ops accomplish? I can understand general pictures of suffering people for awareness but these kind of pictures are just wierd. I understand the Turkish Government helped and Ilaahay heyr ha siiyo but little stuff like this is just plain pointless. I understand the family of these kids are poor and need help but they're humans at the end of the day and deserve dignity, and this is frankly humiliating and degrading.

[greenday]

Did you read the writing on the picture? These kind of pictures please people like the person who wrote that.

[Username1]

They make money for Sharif..

[934]

Is there a picture of sheikh sharif holding one of those kids? Or is that for foreign dignitaries to take photos with?

Oh, it makes them look more humane while sheikh sharif looks like an ass standing there.

[zingii]

USC,SNM,SSDF wixii taageeri jiray meeye?

Soomaali ayadaa meesha is dhigtay, umad aan waxba isku ogaleen
ayagaa ka arkay.

[zingii]

Ururada aan kor ku tibaaxay ayaa wadadan ba'an ee lagu dhamaaday
inoo horseeday.

Traitors to their nation and people.

[eyes-only]

It says I care, I'm helping and making a difference in the world....the usual PR exercise. In the case of the Turkish PM's wife...I think it says"Oh sh!t I should have picked the one with the pants on"

I guess Sh. Shariif's PR machine is not yet up to scratch or is non-existent. He should have been pictured holding a starving and disheveled IDP as well

[Murax]

It says I care, I'm helping and making a difference in the world....the usual PR exercise. In the case of the Turkish PM's wife...I think it says"Oh sh!t I should have picked the one with the pants on"

I guess Sh. Shariif's PR machine is not yet up to scratch or is non-existent. He should have been pictured holding a starving and disheveled IDP as well

Personaly I've seen these PR exercises in places like Haiti, Japan recently and others. Its a little unsettling though When You have that moment Where You see it with Your own race

[eyes-only]

@ Murax...you're just worried people will start associating you with those images.

I think we've all been there.....the feeling of wanting to crawl under the desk once the topic comes up at work. Hoping that your colleagues don't remember you're Somali and helplessly attempting to change the topic or suddenly rushing to get a cup of coffee when your cup is already half full.

[Murax]

@ Murax...you're just worried people will start associating you with those images.

I think we've all been there.....the feeling of wanting to crawl under the desk once the topic comes up at work. Hoping that your colleagues don't remember you're Somali and helplessly attempting to change the topic or suddenly rushing to get a cup of coffee when your cup is already half full.

It actually happened Wallahi. Someone was throwing away food at work the other day, and a couple of co-workers were like 'Come on, don't throw that away theres people dying in Somalia, because of no food'


The thing is though I'm not embarassed per se that We are experiencing such a disaster. It happens, and even rich Countries like the US, Japan, etc. go through them. Somethings things happen and You need help, nothing wrong with that. I'm actually more humiliated for the sake of these families when these same kind of moments happen. If I was the Parents of that child My mindset would be like listen if You're gonna help me, thank you. If not, don't try to use my kids for some kind of show taking pictures smiling while they're naked and starving

[eyes-only]

Laakin, putting our own vanity a side (because to be honest, my disdain for the pictures are purely driven by vanity)...I'd say seeing those pictures wakes people up to what is going on. We as Somalis may know what is going on in Somalia because we get detailed reports from relatives but for example the Turkish people would probably not feel much connection to the story if they didn't have Turkish reporters and politicians telling them what was going on and showing them the pictures.

People respond to shock, unfortunately the more gruesome the picture, the more you're moved and the more you want to help. It is human nature I guess. Still makes me really angry every time I see an African kid on tv.....I really analysed my feelings one day cause I don't like getting angry over things that don't relate to me and realised I don't get as irritated over pictures of disadvantaged people if they are of another race...I just feel moved, sad and sorry for them. Never angry.

Then it hit me, I'm angry because I feel like it is ruining the image of Africa which affects me as an African...

I know this is long, but think about it. What part makes you angry?

[Murax]

Laakin, putting our own vanity a side (because to be honest, my disdain for the pictures are purely driven by vanity)...I'd say seeing those pictures wakes people up to what is going on. We as Somalis may know what is going on in Somalia because we get detailed reports from relatives but for example the Turkish people would probably not feel much connection to the story if they didn't have Turkish reporters and politicians telling them what was going on and showing them the pictures.

People respond to shock, unfortunately the more gruesome the picture, the more you're moved and the more you want to help. It is human nature I guess. Still makes me really angry every time I see an African kid on tv.....I really analysed my feelings one day cause I don't like getting angry over things that don't relate to me and realised I don't get as irritated over pictures of disadvantaged people if they are of another race...I just feel moved, sad and sorry for them. Never angry.

Then it hit me, I'm angry because I feel like it is ruining the image of Africa which affects me as an African...

I know this is long, but think about it. What part makes you angry?

I agree with You 100% people who are not affected directly, need to be moved to give money. What really makes Me angry in general is if You're gonna help people, You should help them in a way that doesn't violate their dignity. In general I don't mind grusome images being shown of people's living conditions as a whole. Case in point I don't mind if they post a overall picture of Badbaado camp in Mogadishu or the camp in Doolow. This kind of picture to Me I see several people even that Turkish Guy looking from behind, the Wife of the Turkish PM, laughing it up and it looks like a complete spectacle is being made of someone's suffering and that really kinda irks me. Maybe it really hits home with Me because personaly I've always hated the idea of asking anybody anything no matter what, but one day if I truly needed help and I had no choice I hope I wouldn't be humilated like this. I'd hate to the be Father of that child.



About the gruesome pictures that come out of Africa, I definitely agree it is just ridiculous. It seems that there are so many profiteers of this ' Emergency food Aid money' to Africa and it has really created a horrible image. There really isn't another Somalia and even close to another Somalia in Africa and most of the Continent is doing pretty well. Through these picture/video orgies highlighting suffering in Africa, it has definitely almost permenantly associated Africa and Africans with being destitute, poor, hungry which I agree is extremely unflattering