Hats off to Luis Vasconcelos for this powerful picture.
The caption says, “An indigenous woman holds her child while trying to resist the advance of Amazonas state policemen who were expelling the woman and some 200 other members of the Landless Movement from a privately-owned tract of land on the outskirts of Manaus, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon March 11, 2008. The landless peasants tried in vain to resist the eviction with bows and arrows against police using tear gas and trained dogs. REUTERS/Luiz Vasconcelos-A Critica/AE (BRAZIL)”.
Images of heavy-handed oppression really don’t come much better than this - defenceless, screaming woman clutching naked child is shoved and beaten by faceless, armoured authority.
The symbols are reinforced by the strong composition. The woman and her child appear all the more vulnerable as the only elements of humanity and colour against the advancing wall of shields and boots.Such a potent image leaves very little room for any doubt. In such circumstances do we need to know the details of the dispute to have any doubts that what we are witnessing is wrong?
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What is the point of this?
- Posted by KennethAn infinite number of these type of photos exist but what good has come from them?
Why do people still vote in politicians that support such a system?
Brandon, you can help by going down there and buying her a tract of land to live on. Not only that, but you must build her shelter, and train her how to run a business or derive enough income to raise enough money for the taxes to the government. Harder than throwing a few cents a day to some charity over the telephone, huh? People have become so numerous that less and less land is available to them, and unfortunately the worth of a single individual human has become near worthless - almost seen as an infestation. I don’t really know what to do about that.
- Posted by ChloeShe has the power.
- Posted by Big AlThis is a powerful image. However, your conclusions bother me:
“do we need to know the details of the dispute to have any doubts that what we are witnessing is wrong?”
Um, yes. Yes we do.
Allowing your emotional response to an image to overwhelm your reason is precisely why propaganda works. In this photo, the story is “helpless woman oppressed by faceless regime.” In others it’s “snarling black man/muslim/etc. clearly sub-human.” In either case we most certainly “need the details.” I would suggest it’s a mistake to allow good photography to determine right and wrong.
- Posted by LeadblindI mean, couldn’t she be protesting without putting her baby within arm’s reach of batons? I feel for her, but seriously…
- Posted by IanThere is not much you can do to help directly. Indirectly you can help by changing you habits of consumption. The efforts against the Landless Workers Movement is mostly spurred on my large American and European corporations looking for cheap land and cheap labor in foreign countries. The only real way to distance your selves from these companies is to consume locally. Try the 100 Mile Diet. Only by Fair Trade certified products. Don’t support any company that denies its foreign workers access to unions and a living wage. American habits of consumption are the key factor in driving these mega-corporations to do all the horrible things they do.
- Posted by TomEmotional, yes. Sad, yes. Frustrating, certainly. But in your own description, this woman (and her colleagues) are being evicted from “a privately-owned tract of land”. Where is the story about the person who worked hard to buy this land and then watched it get trampled and used by these squatters from the Landless Movement? Perhaps I could feel more supportive if they settled on Public Lands rather than stealing resources from another _individual_ human being.
- Posted by Not Indifferent“A tremendously powerful image. This is an important photograph and I hope it will be seen by the world. I’m sure it will affect many.”
Sadly, it will affect nothing…
- Posted by stdoubtThe powerful prey on the weak. A scenario that repeats itself time and again among animals as well as humans. You think some powerful person will see this image and have a change of heart? Keep dreaming.
Tremendously powerful and radicalising image. Will give a significant boost to the MST in Brazil. Imagine the concern of the Brazilian Government with this image spread across two pages of today’s Guardian newspaper in the UK and I’m sure figuring in the press across the World. Good luck to the MST and their fight for the landless!
- Posted by Tony Lloyd-JonesVery powerful
- Posted by Development CrossingThe problem with pictures is no context. There could be a lot more to this picture.
- Posted by noneIn such circumstances do we need to know the details of the dispute to have any doubts that what we are witnessing is wrong?
YES
- Posted by Undertoad“In such circumstances do we need to know the details of the dispute to have any doubts that what we are witnessing is wrong?”
You should always know the details. At least, know that the MST (Landless Movement) is a semi-terrorist organization that frequently kills farmers and land-owners, and work close to another organization which has destroyed 20 years of genetic engineering research a couple of years ago. This does not mean that what you’re witnessing in the picture is right, but it does mean that reality is much more complex than the picture shows.
- Posted by Roberto De AlmeidaThis is a lesson about private property. She has none.
- Posted by StolieWhat a brave woman, putting her child in harm’s way like that. I bet she even had his consent to risk his life in that futile manner.
- Posted by Ernie OportoDavid,
You have done it again. That is one of the most powerful photos I have ever seen.
Do you know what happened to mother and child? Is there anyway I can help?
~Brandon
- Posted by Brandon TautimerServes her right she should not be there anyway!!!
- Posted by Truegreat photo¡¡¡¡¡.
Manu Lozano
- Posted by Manu LozanoA tremendously powerful image. This is an important photograph and I hope it will be seen by the world. I’m sure it will affect many.
- Posted by Kit Collins[...] Check it out here. [...]
- Posted by This one is worth a thousand words | Blogs | Reuters.co.uk | The Click