Le prix Carmignac du photojournalisme est une initiative soutenue par la Fondation Carmignac.
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Zimbabwe: Your Wounds Will Be Named Silence
In the 21st century, the most obtuse dictatorships are officially known as republics. This is the case for the Republic of Zimbabwe. In Harare, between December 2011 and April 2012 and under the economic, political, policed and unsanitary hell overseen by the tenebrous Robert Mugabe (1924-2019), Robin Hammod faced prison.
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 10 February 2012. Patrick, 5, lives in a landfill with his grandmother. They earn an average of $10 a month recycling rubbish. In 2012 life expectancy in Zimbabwe was 55 years for a world average of 71 years.
On 18 April 2012, Zimbabwe celebrated 32 years of independence. Robin Hammond, a photojournalist and tireless denouncer of human rights abuses, travelled across the country between 2007 and 2011, at a time when it was being ravaged by the despot Robert Mugabe. There, he documented the police, health, and economic horrors of a “Garden of Eden turned into a living hell.”
Despite two stints in prison, including 25 days “in atrocious conditions,” he brought back harrowing portraits, scenes of everyday life, and moving glimpses of the art of kikiya-kiya (getting by), which enables Zimbabweans to survive. “Many wanted to show me the terrible living conditions they endured. Some were afraid for me and warned me of the danger…”
Today, the post-Mugabe transition has not resolved the crises: Human Rights Watch’s World Report denounces the ongoing repression of the opposition, while the World Food Programme estimates that more than 3.8 million people suffer from food insecurity.
“I was no longer safe in Zimbabwe. I was also worried about putting other people in danger by my mere presence. I learned that an article had been put online, published a photo of me and said that I was a photojournalist working on human rights issues in Zimbabwe. I was scared. I had to cross the border as quickly as possible.”
