Chris Blattman

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Well worth posting in full

From Wronging Rights:

This is a movie that Ben Affleck made about the crisis in the Kivus for UNHCR’s awareness campaign:

I know what you’re thinking.

Or rather, I know what I was thinking: “Oh for god’s sake, ANOTHER vanity project using the Congo’s striking back-drop of AK-47s and sobbing rape victims to set off some celebrity’s pointedly un-ironed ‘I’m in a refugee camp’ ensemble and newfound commitment to helping the less fortunate / more browner.”

But let’s run down the list of typical offenses:

  1. Shots of aforementioned celebrity kneeling caringly next to tear-stained refugee child: None.
  2. Voyeuristic footage of teary teenage girls haltingly narrating the circumstances of their violation: None. In fact, nobody cries at all.
  3. Ominous images of black men clutching semi-automatic weapons in a menacing manner: Alright one, but it accompanies text noting that there are 22 recognized armed groups operating in the region so I’m going to let it slide.

Affleck instead makes the shocking choice to show people going about their daily activities in the camps, experiencing the normal range of human emotion. This shouldn’t be so striking, except when was the last time you saw footage of a Congolese man patiently bathing his child?

Remember celebrity photographer Rankin’s insistence that glamour shots were needed to raise awareness of the IDPs because people “have become anaesthetised to traditional photographs of conflict victims”? Turns out portraying them as thinking, feeling human beings will do the trick just as well. (And the awesome soundtrack – “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones – doesn’t hurt either.) Way to go, Affleck!

In fact, I’m so impressed I’m not even going to mention UNHCR’s abysmal record in the Congo. Nope, not going to mention it at all.

If you work in aid and you are not reading this blog, you should be.

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  8. Sorry Chris II:
    I think your typical offenses should have included:
    “Showing children in 9/10 cases, thereby participating in your typical (cheap) heart string playing”: Yes. Although honorable mention for them not all being of the malnourished, dirty and or disease-ridden etc. kinds
    or
    “Misery until the West arrives (here represented by UNHCR). We are their saviors!”: Yes. Anybody seen a smiling face before UNHCR’s white angels from above miraculously flew in to bring happyness to the poor creatures? Much like a “Deus ex machina” in greek drama, with the (White-western) audience in it’s usual role of God.
    Again, honorable mention for leaving out the fitting musical setting…

    And: In essence, isn’t this just the sophisticated version of the usual? – A reaction to the growing dislike and saturation of overtly pushy appeals in the audience, trying it the more subtle way. Nothing wrong with that.
    Yet nevertheless: Still “How depict Africa”. The same old dialectic of victims and saviors, nothing in the way of that fishermenstory-thing with the rod and that…

    Sidenote: Love your blog.

  9. Sorry Chris…the Rolling Stones just don’t do it justice…still a bit of hipster chic even if it’s from my Cambridge homey Ben. The whole UN mission in the Congo is one big ‘bordel’ as the French would say…with the peace-keeping goof-balls at the head of the guilty class…I would rather see a movie about how those clowns in NY are digesting all of this. Abysmal is a kind word in these circumstances.

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