Misan Harriman is one of the most prominent photographers in the U.K. This is due, at least in part, to the breadth of his portfolio—he's done a lot of celebrity portraits (and was the first Black man to shoot the cover shot for the British edition of Vogue), but he's also done hard news, most notably coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests. Oh, and he was nominated for an Oscar this year, for the short film The After.
When it comes to the current conflict in Gaza, and the geopolitics therein, there are many people whose sympathies lie somewhere on the Israeli side of the spectrum, and many people whose sympathies lie somewhere on the Palestinian side of the spectrum, and many people who see both sides. However, virtually everyone (excepting a few real a**holes) sympathizes with the civilians of Gaza, who had relatively little to do with the actions of their government. That goes double for the children of Gaza, who had absolutely nothing to do with the actions of their government.
Harriman is among the many people who felt very badly about those kids, and who wanted to do something to help. Again, he's a photographer, which means that, broadly, he thinks creatively, and specifically, he thinks a lot about the power of photography. And that told Harriman what he needed to do to try and help.
At this point, if you're not already familiar with the story, you probably think you know where this is headed: Harriman traveled to the Middle East, maybe on his own dime, took some very compelling photos of the suffering there, got the photos published, and generated some sympathy and/or some donations for the refugees of Gaza. If this was so, it would certainly be admirable.
That is not what Harriman did, however. No, his idea was to acquire some digital cameras, use them for a seminar on photography for a group of refugee children, and then have them take compelling photos. This not only serves to document the refugees' experience, it's also nourishment for the hearts and the souls of the kids who are a part of the program, so it's a double win.
Actually, you might argue that it's really a triple win. If the person or people taking the photographs was an outsider, they would surely be drawn almost entirely to tragic scenes. However, the photos the kids have taken (you can see many of them at the link) actually lean much more to the uplifting end of the spectrum—smiling self portraits, families being reunited, folks participating in religious rituals, and even... cats. There are few burdens that are not lightened, at least a little bit, by a good cat photo (or a good dog photo).
Thus far, Harriman has only been able to work with a very small group of children. Further, given the challenges of reaching Gaza itself with any kind of aid, he's been limited to working with refugees who managed to escape to Egypt. Still, what an idea, and what a template! One can only hope that the notion catches on.
Have a good weekend, all! (Z)