Pictures Both Disturbing and Profound: The Holocausts of Rwanda and Sudan
Africa: The Holocausts of Rwanda and Sudan Photographs and Text by Lucian Niemeyer
Hardcover, 170 pages
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Hardcover, 170 pages
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Price: $50.00
Published: 2006
This book review was originally published in MotherTown in September 2007.
Africa: The Holocausts of Rwanda and Sudan presents a visual documentation of the survivors of four human catastrophes that have occurred in Africa in the last 20 years. Published in “coffee table book” format, it includes more than 140 superb photographs shot by Lucian Niemeyer (Maine: A Portrait, 2006; New Mexico: Images of a Land and Its People, 2004). Niemeyer used Leica SLR 5 and 7 cameras with lenses ranging from 35mm to 400mm; a neutral film, Agfachrome 100; no flash or filters. His photographs are awash in color, light and shadow. Each captures the essence of existence in these volatile regions of Africa, and portrays the dignity and world-weariness of those who have endured starvation, disease, slavery, rape, annihilation, displacement, the deaths of loved ones, and the decimation of their way of life.
“Rwandan Refugees: A Story of Life"
Niemeyer’s journey begins in September 1994 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). A doctor invited Niemeyer to Central Africa to document the Rwandan refugee crisis, hopeful that the images and the story would prompt humanitarian aid. They visit three camps populated by refugees who fled Rwanda with nothing but the clothes on their backs following the Hutu-led genocide of more than 500,000 Tutsis in April.
Each camp holds over 200,000 people. In Mugunga Camp, situated at the base of an active volcano, ten people squeeze in for every ten-by-fifteen foot area. Their shelters are straw huts covered in plastic tarpaulins provided by the United Nations and are built on the hardened lava flow, which releases carbon dioxide gas into the air when it rains. There’s scant food or water. Cholera, typhoid, malaria, dysentery, and blackwater fever plague the refugees.
In Kibumba Camp, the influx of 200,000 refugees disrupts the sustainment of the original 29,000 tribespeople who live there. Within days of the refugees’ arrival corn fields are flattened and water systems polluted. “Unless some NGO [nongovernmental organization] or government decides to help these 29,000 civilians, they too will become statistics of the Rwandan exodus,” Niemeyer avows. “Innocent for sure . . . blameless, yes, the injustice of a terrible, dark feud continues to devastate and haunt humans throughout the area and the world. For here is no justice, no order, and little future. . . .”
PHOTOGRAPHS: “Old Woman with Staff—Mugunga”
A woman squats on the ground. She holds a wooden staff and is dressed colorfully, wearing a red-and-white striped shirt and red plaid skirt. A bright green and yellow cloth wraps around her and is tied at the shoulder. She appears exhausted. A look of everlasting sadness furrows her face.
“Kibumba Refugee Camp of More Than 200,000—Zaire”
A panorama of thousands of straw huts covered with blue and green tarpaulins. The shot depicts a segment of the camp, yet conveys that the view is infinite.
"The Sudan Slave Story"
In December 2000, Christian Solidarity International (CSI), a human rights organization based in Switzerland (http://www.csi-int.org/), invites Niemeyer to Sudan to record the purchase and redemption of Sudanese slaves.
Sudan is located between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East—the area where the “oldest known history of man has been revealed” and where “genocide is practiced with a malice that knows no human boundaries.”
In 1992, the Sudan government (GOS) in the Arab Muslim north, in its efforts to force a national religion, declared a holy jihad against the African Christian south. Millions have died; hundreds of thousands have been displaced. And, amidst this bloodbath, an extensive slave trade persists. Villages are raided, the men are slain and the women and children are abducted and sold into slavery. “Most civilized nations have turned a deaf ear to this great holocaust. . . . It is one of the shames of the world that considers itself civilized.”
Redemption of slaves is facilitated by sympathetic Arab “intermediaries” who oppose enslavement. CSI redeem 4,119 people during Niemeyer’s trip. The exchange is $35 per person—the price of a goat. The redeemed share appalling stories of rape and unrelenting abuse. “Africa is so beautiful, yet it can be so cruel. . . . The emotions of the last few days were the most extreme that I have ever had. They have etched and seared me forever,” Niemeyer declares.
PHOTOGRAPHS: “A Close-Up of a Young Slave Girl Waiting to Be Redeemed—Wedweil”
A young girl’s penetrating stare dominates the photo. Her yellow-tinged eyes express fury and profound sorrow.
“Woman with Scars and Burnt Fingers Acquired While Resisting Rape—Sudan”
A woman holds up her hand. Her index and middle fingers are shrunken and bowed. Her plaid blouse is unbuttoned. On her chest are thick, raised scars that look like coiled rope. She tilts her head and gazes distantly.
"Sudan Oil Field Genocide"
In 2001, Niemeyer returns to Sudan at the request of The Persecution Project based in Warrenton, Virginia, a foundation that collects and disseminates information about worldwide Christian persecution, with particular focus on Africa (http://www.persecutionproject.org/).
Oil was discovered in the south in the 1970s. By 1999, it was flowing through a 900-mile long pipeline to the north, and then distributed worldwide. The finances generated from the oil trade enable the GOS to wage war and “kill its own with impunity.” The GOS establishes a “scorched earth policy” around the oil fields to maintain the uninterrupted flow of oil and has become a “fundamentally radical state similar to the theocracy of Afghanistan’s former Taliban government.”
During Niemeyer’s visit the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) march to the front line of battle and face GOS troops. SPLA’s munitions consist of rocket-propelled grenade launchers, AK-47s and sticks carried by barefoot boys, while GOS armament includes tanks and gunships. When the battle ends, 100 SPLA forces are wounded and 50 die; GOS fatalities number 500.
PHOTOGRAPHS: “Two SPLA Girl Soldiers—Ngop”
Two teen-aged girls stand in front of a wall of thatched straw. Each wears a blue tank-top athletic shirt and has an AK-47 rifle slung around her neck. Their faces are stern. Their look is resolute.
“Seven-Foot Tall Nuer Chief in Ngop”
This chief wears a navy blue velvet hat tied under the chin. He’s decorated in a red-and-white striped sash. His face is scarified in concentric half-circles according to Nuer tribal tradition. He squints in the sun.
“Nuba Mountains, Sudan”
Niemeyer travels to the Nuba Mountains in February 2004, to learn about the 5,000 years of brutality perpetrated against the Nuba people. Since 2002, Niemeyer attests, there exists a relative stability in the region. In 2005, the GOS and SPLA sign a peace accord, and the Nuba’s hopes for “peace and self-rule” are materializing—slowly.
PHOTOGRAPH: “A Nuba Woman—Lowere”
An older woman sits in profile under a tree. She is draped in a green and white-flowered wrap. Sun shines on her face. She appears dispirited. Her eyes are downcast.
This book’s reality is difficult to tolerate. It’s nearly impossible to reconcile the fact that these atrocities happen despite worldwide awareness. And the question—What about the present-day genocide in Darfur?—makes one mourn and seethe.
“Rwandan Refugees: A Story of Life"
Niemeyer’s journey begins in September 1994 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). A doctor invited Niemeyer to Central Africa to document the Rwandan refugee crisis, hopeful that the images and the story would prompt humanitarian aid. They visit three camps populated by refugees who fled Rwanda with nothing but the clothes on their backs following the Hutu-led genocide of more than 500,000 Tutsis in April.
Each camp holds over 200,000 people. In Mugunga Camp, situated at the base of an active volcano, ten people squeeze in for every ten-by-fifteen foot area. Their shelters are straw huts covered in plastic tarpaulins provided by the United Nations and are built on the hardened lava flow, which releases carbon dioxide gas into the air when it rains. There’s scant food or water. Cholera, typhoid, malaria, dysentery, and blackwater fever plague the refugees.
In Kibumba Camp, the influx of 200,000 refugees disrupts the sustainment of the original 29,000 tribespeople who live there. Within days of the refugees’ arrival corn fields are flattened and water systems polluted. “Unless some NGO [nongovernmental organization] or government decides to help these 29,000 civilians, they too will become statistics of the Rwandan exodus,” Niemeyer avows. “Innocent for sure . . . blameless, yes, the injustice of a terrible, dark feud continues to devastate and haunt humans throughout the area and the world. For here is no justice, no order, and little future. . . .”
PHOTOGRAPHS: “Old Woman with Staff—Mugunga”
A woman squats on the ground. She holds a wooden staff and is dressed colorfully, wearing a red-and-white striped shirt and red plaid skirt. A bright green and yellow cloth wraps around her and is tied at the shoulder. She appears exhausted. A look of everlasting sadness furrows her face.
“Kibumba Refugee Camp of More Than 200,000—Zaire”
A panorama of thousands of straw huts covered with blue and green tarpaulins. The shot depicts a segment of the camp, yet conveys that the view is infinite.
"The Sudan Slave Story"
In December 2000, Christian Solidarity International (CSI), a human rights organization based in Switzerland (http://www.csi-int.org/), invites Niemeyer to Sudan to record the purchase and redemption of Sudanese slaves.
Sudan is located between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East—the area where the “oldest known history of man has been revealed” and where “genocide is practiced with a malice that knows no human boundaries.”
In 1992, the Sudan government (GOS) in the Arab Muslim north, in its efforts to force a national religion, declared a holy jihad against the African Christian south. Millions have died; hundreds of thousands have been displaced. And, amidst this bloodbath, an extensive slave trade persists. Villages are raided, the men are slain and the women and children are abducted and sold into slavery. “Most civilized nations have turned a deaf ear to this great holocaust. . . . It is one of the shames of the world that considers itself civilized.”
Redemption of slaves is facilitated by sympathetic Arab “intermediaries” who oppose enslavement. CSI redeem 4,119 people during Niemeyer’s trip. The exchange is $35 per person—the price of a goat. The redeemed share appalling stories of rape and unrelenting abuse. “Africa is so beautiful, yet it can be so cruel. . . . The emotions of the last few days were the most extreme that I have ever had. They have etched and seared me forever,” Niemeyer declares.
PHOTOGRAPHS: “A Close-Up of a Young Slave Girl Waiting to Be Redeemed—Wedweil”
A young girl’s penetrating stare dominates the photo. Her yellow-tinged eyes express fury and profound sorrow.
“Woman with Scars and Burnt Fingers Acquired While Resisting Rape—Sudan”
A woman holds up her hand. Her index and middle fingers are shrunken and bowed. Her plaid blouse is unbuttoned. On her chest are thick, raised scars that look like coiled rope. She tilts her head and gazes distantly.
"Sudan Oil Field Genocide"
In 2001, Niemeyer returns to Sudan at the request of The Persecution Project based in Warrenton, Virginia, a foundation that collects and disseminates information about worldwide Christian persecution, with particular focus on Africa (http://www.persecutionproject.org/).
Oil was discovered in the south in the 1970s. By 1999, it was flowing through a 900-mile long pipeline to the north, and then distributed worldwide. The finances generated from the oil trade enable the GOS to wage war and “kill its own with impunity.” The GOS establishes a “scorched earth policy” around the oil fields to maintain the uninterrupted flow of oil and has become a “fundamentally radical state similar to the theocracy of Afghanistan’s former Taliban government.”
During Niemeyer’s visit the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) march to the front line of battle and face GOS troops. SPLA’s munitions consist of rocket-propelled grenade launchers, AK-47s and sticks carried by barefoot boys, while GOS armament includes tanks and gunships. When the battle ends, 100 SPLA forces are wounded and 50 die; GOS fatalities number 500.
PHOTOGRAPHS: “Two SPLA Girl Soldiers—Ngop”
Two teen-aged girls stand in front of a wall of thatched straw. Each wears a blue tank-top athletic shirt and has an AK-47 rifle slung around her neck. Their faces are stern. Their look is resolute.
“Seven-Foot Tall Nuer Chief in Ngop”
This chief wears a navy blue velvet hat tied under the chin. He’s decorated in a red-and-white striped sash. His face is scarified in concentric half-circles according to Nuer tribal tradition. He squints in the sun.
“Nuba Mountains, Sudan”
Niemeyer travels to the Nuba Mountains in February 2004, to learn about the 5,000 years of brutality perpetrated against the Nuba people. Since 2002, Niemeyer attests, there exists a relative stability in the region. In 2005, the GOS and SPLA sign a peace accord, and the Nuba’s hopes for “peace and self-rule” are materializing—slowly.
PHOTOGRAPH: “A Nuba Woman—Lowere”
An older woman sits in profile under a tree. She is draped in a green and white-flowered wrap. Sun shines on her face. She appears dispirited. Her eyes are downcast.
This book’s reality is difficult to tolerate. It’s nearly impossible to reconcile the fact that these atrocities happen despite worldwide awareness. And the question—What about the present-day genocide in Darfur?—makes one mourn and seethe.
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