10 | Pictures of Pain 

Disclaimer 1: The topics covered in this text are highly controversial. I am presenting my personal perspective based on observations and conversations. My view does not represent or reflect the position of any institution I might be affiliated with. 

Disclaimer 2: Writing this post caused discomfort and sadness. For the sake of conveying authenticity, I hope reading it will have a similar effect. If you currently feel hopeless or pessimistic, I recommend reading about Ethiopian Coffee or Juba Snow instead. 

In the beginning of December last year, I was delighted to welcome Stefan back to the compound in Juba. Stefan and I knew each other from a humanitarian training, where we met in June 2022. He is the Regional Communications Manager for several East African countries. One thing we have in common, is the constant chase for good pictures. One thing photographers know is that the idea of a good picture is vague and debatable at best — especially in a crisis context. 

Taking pictures to communicate what we experience in the humanitarian world is incredibly difficult, especially when it is about pain and suffering. 

Can we justify the exposure of vulnerable people for the sake of raising funds to provide help? Are we helping enough to justify showing pictures of children covered in dirt? 

Are we selling vulnerability?

Can it be justified? 

How can we communicate suffering? Pain is painful, and I believe a case can be made for expressing pain in its entirety. Not much seems to be ethically debatable about showing joy, beauty, contentment, or pleasure*. Why is it so difficult to show suffering? 

Maybe a first step towards approaching this difficult situation is to ask for the possible reasons behind why anyone would want to communicate suffering. 

Need and hope.
One reason behind showing need may actually be about hope. In this case, implying pain may be enough, as long as it gets the point across without exposing people. There are simple ways to indicate suffering without explicitly showing it. It is a technique often used in movies: The audience sees a person pulling the trigger, and hears the gun firing, but the person who gets shot is not shown. It is a way of protecting the shot person from being exposed, yet everyone understand know what the situation implies. 

A different way is to influence the viewer's perception. If showing a need is about meeting the need, it is easier to flip the narrative from suffering to hope. Looking at a malnourished child which is being fed carries the idea of hope. Suffering is still present and visible, but the need is being met, and it is going to be better. At least, that's how the story goes. The real world might differ — let’s talk about unmet needs and unaddressed suffering. 

Suffering and pain.
What if there is suffering and all hope has vanished?** Whether we like it or not, pain can at times seem to outweigh everything else. And for the sake of honestly capturing and sharing life in its entirety, we may have an obligation to talk about pain and suffering as much as joy and pleasure. Can it ever be worth it to take the risk of exposing someone, only to make an attempt to share someone's story of suffering? 

Practically, this turns out to be challenging. Especially when looking at human dignity, and ensuring it remains true for people who suffer. From the perspective of a photographer, the question of human dignity inevitably leads to asking for and giving consent. Even in the previous example about hope, a person who is suffering should be given the opportunity to express to what extent and in what ways they want to show their pain. Sounds nice in theory — practically somewhere between difficult and impossible in many cases. For example, the person in pain may not be able to comprehend the situation and is therefore not in a position to respond accordingly. Having a fair and balanced dialogue about sharing someone's story on social media with someone who may have never heard about the internet before, seems rather impossible. Someone who suffers from severe health issues, just got shot, or is in a coma, may not be able to communicate what they think or feel. In other cases, the person may not even be alive anymore, which brings this discussion to a whole different level altogether. 

With all those questions raised, we still need to communicate suffering. I am not expecting to find an answer, but I do hope that people will not forget about those questions when looking at photos or reading a story. 

It is difficult to say anything in conclusion. 

In a way, we are all in this together, but in many ways, it seems like we are not. Showing suffering or hiding (from) it does not make it less real. And if that’s not a reason to pray, I don’t know what is. And if you are looking for a personal call to make a difference: Geevarghese Osthathios (1918) suggests that “[t]ose who pray ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth...’ have a duty to work for the goal implied in the prayer.” 

Markus