For Kevin Carter: Burning World

Why didn't Kevin Carter help the little girl?

March 1993, The Sudan, East Africa.Civil war and famine have destroyed the country.

Photographer Kevin Carter comes across a little girl trying to make her way to a nearby UN food station. Carter won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography on 23rd May 1994. On the 27th July of the same year, he committed suicide. He was 33 years old.


Burning World

An artist roamed a burning world
in search of scenes to immortalise
and found a tortoise on its back
baking in the ferocious sun.
The artist sat cross-legged on the sand
and began to capture the pitiful scene
when the tortoise whispered: "Help me."

The artist looked up from his work and replied:
"What use is my help?
You cannot survive in this burning world --
better I draw you and show you to horrified eyes
and when they see your terrible plight
and realise you are beyond their help,
in their guilt you will live forever."

The scene recorded, the artist rose and turned to go.
"But I'm suffering!" the tortoise cried.
The artist hung his head and replied:
"But I am suffering too. Why else would I roam
this burning world in search of you?
I thought I was suffering on my own,
but I'll think of you here and you will remind me:
I do not suffer alone."

© PoetryAgainstWar 2010

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• kevin carter
• sudan
• pulitzer prize
• africa
• vulture
• poem
• poetry against war
• civil
• photography
• photograph
• ayod
• child
• girl
• starvation
• famine
• suicide
• 1993
• un
• food

[GuerillaInThaMidst]

It's remarkable to me how many people say they would've done this, or would've done that. Those same people could walk by a homeless everyday on the same stretch of street, in the same neighborhood or section of downtown, and they would do nothing for him. I honor Kevin for giving voice to a nation that was crying out. I honor Kevin for trying to capture in the photo, the suffering that an entire world chose to ignore. Judge not....and live.

[PoetryAgainstWar]

@GuerillaInThaMidst

I'm afraid I think there's a world of difference in passing a homeless person on the street and passing a weakened 5 year old girl whimpering and nose down in the dirt crawling to a UN food station.

I don't believe Carter was bad or evil or uncaring - just in such tremendous emotional pain that he thought intervening was useless or that the image was somehow cathartic.

What would you have done?

[volgyia]

It seems you did not search good enough. Even New York Times published an editorial note Carter helped the girl. And the other photographer being there Joao Silva also told about the situation that let's assume he helped her. Maybe read the book Bang Bang Club...

...BTW it is Kevin Carter's birthday today.

[PoetryAgainstWar]

@volgyia I didn't realise it was his birthday, thanks for pointing that out. I hope he's at peace.

Can you define 'helping' her? Carter said he scared away the bird and she resumed on her way. Is that what you mean? I know Silva defended Carter's actions and as a friend and colleague, I'd be surprised if he hadn't. As I've commented before, I can't condemn Carter and the poem is my personal attempt at understanding what was going on in his head that day. Maybe I'm way off . . .

[patio87]

A person who values journalistic principles over basic human empathy is a scum bag and doesn't deserve a life.

[GuerillaInThaMidst]

@PoetryAgainstWar...there is no world of difference between the suffering of a 5 year old little girl and a 55 year old hungry homeless man. Pain and suffering don't suffer the delights of separation or condition, nor the privilege of the comfort born from third party viewership, 'lest that privilege contorts and conforms to the malleability born of false protests and rhetorical questions..."what could've/should've been done?" The poem is powerful, as is the photo, as was that moment.

[PoetryAgainstWar]

@benzo430 I think you've made a perfect distinction between being a photographer and being human. I find it hard not to judge Carter as well, hence the poem's attempt at understanding why he didn't help. I don't think he was bad or evil or stupid - I believe he was a man in tremendous emotional pain who had witnessed too much horror (as seen in some of his other photos).

Thank you, I really appreciate your comment.

[benzo430]

@PoetryAgainstWar a photographer doesn't have a duty to help, but a human being does. but how many people in need do we see and we just walk away. I try not to judge Kevin Carter but it's hard not too. Well done poem.

[PoetryAgainstWar]

@xXBlackxPawsXx I struggled for 6 years to find the right way of saying what I feel about this photo, your comment made it worthwhile. Thanks so much.

[xXBlackxPawsXx]

wow, you summarized everything in that poem. It's beautiful, made me think of a lot of things in life.