Russell Wood Photojournalism and Social Science Blog

 

 

When Iman entered the clinical room inside Gaza press centre, one of the few buildings unscarred by war, I was shocked to see she was heavily pregnant. I noticed my UN interpreter’s eyes widen, also showing her surprise. Whilst Iman Othman was dignified I felt her looking straight through me, her eyes betraying she had cried to that point where there are no tears left. Iman’s sister-in-law, who had come with her, told me the baby was due in a week. However, her husband, photojournalist Mohammed Othman won't be there. He's in a critical condition in a Jordanian hospital after being shot covering a protest on the Israeli border for a UK-based photo-agency. My heart felt very heavy. This was not going to be an easy meeting.

Iman showed me press images of her husband being held by a number of men as they rushed him to safety. He was covered in blood, eyes rolled back into his head, unconscious. After initial operations in Gaza he was taken to Jordan for further specialist operations to remove a bullet from his spine. The Doctors in Jordan remain hopeful, but are still extremely concerned about permanent, waist down, paralysis. Mohammed regularly contributed to the Demotix photoagency and has filed 127 photographic stories, many of which being in volatile situations. I was in the region as a freelancer and whilst there I felt it worthwhile to meet the family, bringing some good will, to a fellow photographer.

As we sat down to talk, her first question was if I was visiting on behalf of the agency that Mohammed contributed. I explained that I was not a representative but a concerned fellow photographer. I asked her if she had spoken to anyone from the  Demotix head office in London. I was told the agency had not contacted the family since the shooting. She elaborated, ‘it is clear Demotix knew about his devastating injuries because a story about the incident was released on their website’. Whilst hearing this news I felt ashamed that a company, based in Britain, had not even had the common courtesy to call the family of an injured contributor in such circumstances. As Iman stared at me, her eyes now more teary, she asked ‘should this type of behaviour not be illegal?’

Whilst my eyes welled I explained, to the best of my knowledge, that  Demotix contributors all agree to a disclaimer whereby they take sole responsibility for the situation they put themselves in. I could see her nodding whilst staring at the ground that she understood. At this point, I felt like I was doing the agencies dirty work, letting a beareaved family know that no help would be offered - I was furious. Iman replied ‘Demotix may not be legally responsible to support its photographers, but surely there is an ethical responsibility as well as human obligation, at the very least, to make a phone call and see how they could possibly help? She further questions the morality of such practices of photographic agencies that are quite happy to benefit from the dangerous work of journalists in hostile environments yet leaves them unsupported when things go wrong.

In 2007 the Frontline Club established a fund that aids the families of killed or injured media workers who operate in dangerous environments. The fund was prompted after the Taliban brutally kidnapped and murdered Ajmal Naqshbandi in Afghanistan. He had been working as a fixer for a reporter from the Italian newspaper La Republica. The real tragedy to this story was that unconfirmed reports from Kabul say, the Italian company paid the ransom for the Italian reporter but the local, Ajmal, was not helped and subsequently killed. This aptly highlights how local media are at most risk covering a story and are killed more often than the foreign press pack. However, when foreign media are injured or die in the field, it is them who get the vast majority of press attention. The above, demonstrates the unacceptable situation for freelance journalist contributors, known in the trade as stringers, in relation to the lack of serious interest or real support received from certain news gathering agencies. Furthermore, it highlights how quickly the photographer, writer, cameraman or fixer, behind the scenes, can be forgotten and discarded when things become unpleasant and more than tacit support is required. Unfortunately this is not a rare story.

Upon return to the UK I have emailed Turi Munthe the Demotix CEO, asking if there is the potential for aiding the Othman family. To date, according to my contacts in Gaza, the Othman family are still waiting for that phone call from Demotix. 

 

 

 

 

(Gaza 2011 A memorial to a young boy who was killed during an air strike. He is depicted as dressed in full academic honours showing the esteemed placement of education in Palestinian society)

As a visitor to the Palestinian Territories one thing that struck me was the quality of schooling in the region.

In The West Bank the open-university system seems to be a popular method albeit students do have university grounds to attend if they wish. The students in Gaza, like any other university in the world, regularly attend a campus. The reason for this difference is due to how the occupation is played out in each area. The West Bank has much more of a physical military presence with many roadblocks and checkpoints. These areas have the potential for harassment and arbitrary arrest. They are a dangerous part of The West Bank and often become flash points of aggression.

(West Bank 2009 Young Israeli soldiers man a checkpoint deep inside Palestinian territory)

Therefore, the university has a very effective online study at home program. Regardless of territory, for many of the Palestinians I have met education is highly regarded. It seems each physical restraint imposed by occupation gives way to an increased desire for academic growth. As one local told me, ‘all we have is our minds and this is how we are going to resist’. This fight for academic excellence has unfortunately now been seen as a large part of the Palestinian infrastructure and therefore often targeted by Israel.

(Gaza 2011 A member of Goldsmiths College passes the crater that was once a university building. It was bombed during the 2008/2009 Operation Cast Lead)

Whilst the education system is a more than valuable subject and one worth exploring further. I want to put a brief focus on the role of women within this arena in conjunction to their role with society at large. 

A statistic that has seemed to shock people back in England, contradicting the notion that Muslim Arab women are kept from education, is that 21,000 students are currently enrolled at the Islamic University of Gaza with over 63% being female. At every meeting attended by the recent London student delegation to Gaza it was the female Palestinian students at the vanguard. Their highly articulate questioning that explored politics, social theory, activism and methods for peaceful protest was a privilage to witness. On one particular meeting at the House of Wisdom (http://www.howgaza.org/english/) there were discussions between the London and Palestinian delegations that required me to dig deep into much of my studies in political economy. In this case it seemed that sisters really are doing it for themselves.

(Gaza 2011 a member of the Islamic University of Gaza student council discusses the academic twinning with members of the London Goldsmiths College student council)

 

 

 

 

(Military guard the border to Egypt)

In late May, shortly after the downfall of Mubarak, the Rafah crossing that borders Egypt and Gaza was declared by the Egyptain authorities as open. This did not come without terms. Adult males between 18-40 are still restricted unless they can provide documentation such as a foreign visa, proof of university placement or a special certificate relating to health reasons. Unfortunately there are many Palestinians, mostly refugees, which do not have official identification documents. Although Israel officially withdrew from Gaza six years ago it still retains control of its population registry including the official supply of Palestinian ID numbers. Without these papers it is almost impossible to travel. It’s a cruel irony that the physical exits which are supposedly open are restricted by the bureaucratic gatekeepers whom it is not in their interests to allow free movement, needless to say obtaining the paperwork is far beyond difficult. It was stated by Egypt that women, children under 18 and men over 40 could pass without procedure. 

(A woman pleads with security to be allowed to pass. All women were supposed to be allowed through without procedure.)

Regardless of the above problem there was hope that the softening of Egyptian policy, even in theory, would make the siege a little more comfortable for Gaza. 

After experiencing the trouble to enter via Egypt it does not take long to realise that the Egyptian authorities have no desire for outsiders to travel into the territory. It is rumoured that business is good along the border for gangs earning money from the flow of goods between the border tunnels. In theory, the Egyptian army would be trying to stop this traffic but in reality, it is said that the back handers they receive to turn a blind eye is lucrative. 

On the Palestinian side of the border matters are far worse. As one approaches the border from Gaza you can see the desperation from people who want to exit. They try to pass the barrier by negotiation, force, or just sitting back hoping their turn will eventually come. From the hysteria I witnessed at the gate you could tell the people had been waiting too long for patience and sense to handle. People often press forward against the gate whilst the authorities try to hold them back. 

(Chaos descends as people argue with the border control and demand that they are let through)

On one particular day I pushed my way to the front of the gate waving my press pass allowing me straight through. Looking back on it I feel guilty that such a formidable obstacle for some was nothing for me. I had done my work and directed my frustration down the lens. You could see people around the sides of the barrier held back and staring longingly through the barbed wire toward Egypt.

(The fenced area that goes around the border has many people leaning up against it looking on for a sign that they can pass soon)

As I walked back through the gate into the maelstrom of people trying to leave, a man approached asking for help. He had seen me waltz through press pass in hand and was hoping that I could help him. I wish I could explain it more eloquently but being straightforward, turning him down made me feel like shit. This man had been waiting for two weeks for medical care in Egypt where he needed an eye operation. He explained that he had all the necessary paperwork to get through but, for some reason or another, the border security was not allowing him. He pleaded for me to help him as I was press but once again I had to sincerely apologise and let him down. Looking back now it feels bloody embarrasing that the best thing I could do was to take a picture whilst a friend wrote down his name. 

(Still after two weeks wait for eye surgery he has not been allowed to pass)

Unverified rumours were spreading whilst i was at the gate that the Hamas authorities were conducting favourable behaviour toward people whom know the right officials or paid the ‘right fee’. It seems, potentially, that business could also be good from this side of the fence. 

For those fortunate enough to get passed the Palestinian gate, getting into Egypt is a massive problem. Arbitary closings of the border are common where Palestinians are sent back. One day whilst I was waiting to get through, a busload of people had been returned for the second time. The amount of people who are let through by the Egyptian authorities is alleged to be well under the official quota of 550 people a day. For those who are travelling overseas to a university or for official meetings they are immediately arrested, taken to an airport, put in a holding cell with no seating or toilet and have to wait, sometimes up to 24 hours, before being put on a flight. 

(Men staring out the window on to the Rafah gate hoping that their bus will not be returned)

What was in late May, for two days, a ray of hope for Palestinians to be able to travel, trade and increase their horizons has become another empty promise. Unfortunately the Egyptian revolution that was spurred by a desire to end corruption has not quite stretched from Cairo to the border of Gaza. At present many of the Palestinians waiting at Rafah just look on in hope desperate for their turn at being able to access a world outside of the siege.

 

I arrived home last night after a quick tour of Gaza. Over the next week or two i will blog about the trip and add images to my website. Watch this space. 

 

 

It is said the truth is the first victim of war.

During the March 26^th London anti cut demonstrations, whilst snapping away a black bloc group surrounded and pushed me making sure my field of view, of a limousine being vandalised, was well and truly restricted. Whilst I was slightly vexed at their attempts to stop my picture taking the event left me more perplexed. Throughout London there are CCTV cameras everywhere – there is no way that my camera would have caught anything they were doing that had not already been captured. In fact, whats the point of carrying out these actions that according to ‘them’ makes some sort of political statement if you don’t have a media presence. Heyho, I just put it down to heat of the moment and ladish behaviour.

That was an end to my experience in having my journalistic freedom restricted – no drama in comparison to many other places where being a journalist requires a tremendous amount of courage.

Yesterday it was announced that Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad had been found murdered.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-31/syed-saleem-shahzad...

Allegedly the death was attributed to the hands of the ISI. The ISI, Pakistans intelligence service, has been under significant pressure since Bin Laden was found living in a compound next to a military academy. Therefore it was speculated that the ISI made an example of a known journalist to silence any local media before they applied any of their own pressure through criticism in the news.  Either way, be it at the hands of the Taliban (which Shahzad had covered numerous stories on) or the feared ISI, there were signs of torture with the deathblow being a hit to the chest. 

The above is not a new story and one can see many examples of where journalists have been threatened, kidnapped, tortured and murdered in countries from the Far East through to Latin America.

I never thought that these threats would come to affect me directly or even indirectly so soon in my career.

Its not even been a year since graduating and doing my hostile training courses. However, I have heard of a handfull of photojournalists/journalists being killed in conflict zones with Tim Hetherington being one of them.   Whilst waiting to see him talk at the frontline club, which I am also a member, we were told he had just been called out to Libya and could not make it that evening.  Two weeks later his death, caused by a pro Gaddafi mortar shell, was announed via frontline club email.

http://www.timhetherington.com/

This announcement was a strange moment for me. Whilst doing my hostile training, Terry Friel, a long-term conflict zone journalist told me that in ten years time many people that are in this room today would be killed on assignment. In fact, he also promised me that at some point in my career someone would try and kill me – a chilling thought. Whilst both of these statements made an impact on me they still seemed far removed from my limited experience. At the time hard news all still seemed just a bit of adventure, with a risk, but still nothing to worry about much. Until recently, and even after the death of Tim, I still felt untouchable.

This feeling has changed and the reality has come slightly closer to home. Two weeks ago there was a sudden outburst of protest around the Palestinain territories. Demonstrations are common over this period where Palestinians commemorate the Nakba (catastrophe) where they fled their homes in what is now Israel. The 2011 Nakba protests, maybe driven by the Arab spring, seemed to have more velocity to them. Israel responded to the sudden uprising by deploying their helicopter gunships and increasing troop numbers.

It was during these protests that a colleague, someone who I have never met but contributes to the same photo agency, was seriously injured. Mohammed Othman was on assignment covering the protest near the Erez crossing in Gaza when a bullet from an Israeli soldier pierced his lung and lodged into his spine; he is now paralysed. 

http://www.cpj.org/2011/05/israeli-soldier-seriously-injures-palestinian-phot.php

Mohammed like so many others was doing a job whereby, image-by-image, he collected a facet of reality that he communicated to the world. It is in this endeavour that journalists fight their own war within war. In trying to revive the truth or even critically examine a facet of reality - the dispenser of information becomes a flag bearer and potentially targeted from all the players. Whilst there is a risk, the story is still worth it, without people obtaining knowledge of what is happening then how can sound judgement on policy and action ever be made. I am not saying that this is solely a noble pursuit; there is an element of addiction and excitement on the journalist’s behalf. Nevertheless it is still a worthwhile pursuit that has, at times, made the people in power more accountable.  

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-03/israels-free-press-...

I am hoping to meet Mohammed in Gaza soon and personally give him my best wishes.

“In a way, if an individual assumes the risk of placing himself in the middle of a war in order to communicate to the rest of the world what is happening, his trying to negotiate for peace. Perhaps that’s the reason why those in charge of perpetuating the war do not like to have photographers around.” - James Nachtwey

 You can see more details where journalistic freedom has been restricted on http://en.rsf.org/

 

 

 

(Image by Derek Schultz ARPS. Train for war and pray for peace. An image taken of me and an associate during hostile environment training near Farnham army barracks)

So, three weeks and I will be in Gaza. Lately a lot of people have been asking about my motives for going there. Not just there, but also my motives for pursuing a career where I potentially risk my life obtaining images that most don’t want to see. It seems the answer I give is never really good enough, for me, or the person who asked. 

Sometimes its about telling the story and providing a voice – but when I rationalise that many of these stories have been told before and still nothing happens or people don’t really care, then why risk my life? This conclusion often comes to me on my more pessimistic days. However, there have been times where pictures of events do mobilise people into positive action. Ron haviv’s images of Arkans troops, in Serbia, kicking an old woman they had shot, prompted an international reaction.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1347218.stm

There are times when it’s about watching history unfold and being witness to world events. Being so wrapped up in current world affairs I feel like the real world is happening ‘out there’ as opposed to within our utopian consumer heaven – maybe then it’s a type of escapism?  In a place of conflict, where there is such an overwhelming intensity, the little things that we take for granted become rather beautiful.  The disadvantage to this is when you return back home – normalising is not easy. Many things we worry about, argue about, talk about here just don’t seem so important anymore – it’s easy to become disconnected. I often feel guilty about this stance, as many in the world, would give so much to have our luxuries and take them for granted. There is no beauty in watching ones own children or siblings suffer, I am sure they would go so far as to have their family in front of them, safe, warm, fed, educated and watching trash TV.

(Image taken by me: Moments of Peace in The West Bank - a group of lads running with large smiles with the beautiful backdrop of the Jordan Valley)

However, when I ponder the question too much and start loosing sleep,  I come back to one of my biggest motives. I love to learn, I have a passion for trying to understand the way the world is and what it’s all about. I spent over a decade trying to understand the Middle-East conflict (amongst other things) through reading the many books out there on the issue. When it came down to it I have learnt a week in the region can give more insight to a lifetime of sitting in an armchair reading about it.

Ultimately, there you have it, its not about press coverage or necessarily telling a story so much as being there, experiencing on the ground, seeing with my own eyes and feeling the rawness as a witness.

Ultimately if I had an easy answer to the question, ‘why do it?’ then I would not feel the need to be there in the first place. Oh and of course, it beats the shit out of work in an office. 

 

(Image taken by me: Calm Before the Storm. An image taken of the mornings view whilst embedded on a NATO battleship)

(Photo: Our ride, sans doors!)

Without a doubt, one of my favourite EAP tasks is when I get to hang out of a helicopter and take pictures!

This is why I jumped at the chance when Brighton Marathon offered EAP the job to take photos of the run from an aerial view.

On April 10^th I headed to the Hilton hotel to meet my driver that would be taking me to the helicopter LZ at goodwood racecourse.  Whilst waiting in the lobby, one of the film media crew asked me if her shooter could catch a ride with me. Naturally, being all in it together, it was no problem. However, what she did not do was let her man know he was getting a lift or that it was in the next five minutes – we were subsequently late for the start of the race and, more importantly, I missed the chance to have a photo taken of me in the helicopter for the new extreme action website. 

However, we got to the LZ and up in the air.

Oh, I nearly forgot, one of the best things about becoming more experienced as a photographer – you can start making diva like demands such as asking the pilot to take all the doors off the helo. I mean, what self respecting action photographer would take aerial photos through windows behind the safety of doors? Brilliant! The crew at elite choppers agreed, the doors came off (well two of them on one side) and the safety harnesses went on.

Now, people often think that aerial images are just about being there, in the chopper, and snapping away, well – it is not. From this point of view, approx 1600 feet, people often want a nice sharp image throughout and not a shallow depth of field – this rules out a high F-stop that lets in more light.

So, often, if you have a low F, the camera wants to make the shutter open and close slow to let in more light – this cannot be done either. Reason being - helicopters tend to move fast and vibrate, a lot! Slow shutter would cause blurry images.  Therefore the full manual was going to get pushed to its limits along with a high light sensitivity aka ISO. 

Anyway, I digress with geeky tech talk.

So with a beautiful ride up over the South coast I start setting my camera. As mentioned above we did not make the start of the race but, from that height, no one would really know anyhow. Either way the bulk of the runners were still running over the start line. Eventually the shooter and I decided to go ahead and get images of the race leaders. Once we found them we realised they were so far ahead from the main bulk that it just made for boring images – its like an ant going past an iconic landmark. Rubbish. Therefore we decided to get the main bulk running past as many iconic sites as possible.

(Photo: The coastal view)

 After two hours, the fuel budget had run out, we sacked it. This was good as after looking through a viewfinder for that amount of time as a small craft twist and turns I felt as sick as hell. Actually, I could feel the blood slowly draining from my face whilst my breakfast was slowly climbing out of my stomach. It was good to put the camera down and compose myself.

We landed, I was taken back into the city, I dropped the images with the graphic designer.  That was it; apart from my own edits I wanted to do another day, job done.

Beats the shit out of work in an office.

(Photo: Runners making their way along the coast road)

 

 

Joint military operation

Two weeks

Embed

In Brief

I was based on board a number of warships, for two weeks, throughout Europe’s largest military exercise.  Great fun as I transferred between ships either by helicopter or RIB. I enjoyed the RIB transfer as you get to climb a long rope ladder, hanging over the side of the ship, to get on board (whilst watching the broadcast journalist struggle). Rock and Roll. I was a guest on board the USS Stout, DS Absalon, HMS Monmouth and USS Bainbridge.

As the teams photojournalist I had to attend regular meetings with the media attache to obtain updated situation reports. I would then package this information into a news release, alongside photographic work, and send it to an on-shore media field office.

Some days I would also meet with the ships Captain and hang out with the Commodore of the Fleet, which was cool.

When something newsworthy happened I was given a heads up, by the military attache, then I would rush to the scene and cover the story. 

I also spent a fair bit of time watching Black Adder Goes Forth in the officers mess and talking to other film crew from channel 5 – nice lads, one was an ex army Captain. It really is a case of hurry up and wait – and wait – and wait.

Whilst on the Danish warship Absalon we spent a lot of time eating fine foods including, salmon, freshly baked bread and wholesome salad (this is in great contrast to the mush served on British and American ships).  I could get used to military embedding with the Danish Navy.

A very interesting two weeks that, once i get home and dig up my journal, I will discuss in far greater detail in another blog post.

 

 

 

 

(Image of 2009 Delegate to The West Bank. Walking the Separation Wall)

My first post. 

I have finally been convinced, by my colleague Derk, to submit a blog for our new website. 

I have always been a fairly private person with my thoughts, ideas, feelings and so on, which is what would explain my reticence. I just feel i dont have too much to say. This is probably why i prefer to communicate visually. 

Apparently, according to Derk, I have a lot to talk about. So i will start with my planning and thoughts, or lack of, in regards to my trip to Gaza via Egypt next month.

In Brief

I will be joining a delegation of British university students and activists as they head to The Middle East meeting with Palestinian, and possibly Egyptian, students and activists. They will tour Gaza getting first hand insight to the area that has been besieged by Israeli forces. Additionally we will be meeting with the UN chief of the region for a Q&A session. Some more information is here http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200313910005048 

My objectives will be visually documenting the meetings, the wider conflict and find interesting stories whilst on the journey. As the photojournalist on the tour I have some movement to come and go from the delegation. Therefore, I want to take the opportunity to 'look around' the area for a variety of stories. 

An organisation that I am keen to hook up with is the Gaza surf club. Being a keen water sport enthusiast i am intrigued to see how surfers in a conflict zone engage with the sea. Does it have the same meditative effect that it has for people in more peaceful regions of the world? Not a new story, but one I want to explore non the less. 

Another potential objective will be to gather some images for Dirks new project, a cross cultural comparison on peoples daily concerns, or something like that.

Prior planning prevents....

Yeah, well. I need to get cracking on that one - main players in the region, pre deployment, risk assessments and actions on etc etc. 

I will start that tomorrow ; )

Oh yeah, and whats the best way of getting from Cairo to Rafah...! The team need to discuss this one in relation to times etc. 

At least UN paperwork is sorted. 

Fears

Doing the subject justice is always my main concern. 

After traveling around The West Bank on a similar assignment, a couple of years back, I felt how hospitable and warm the Palestinians are. The people we met were well spoken, well educated and had a great awareness of global policy and so on. This makes sense as so much of current world affairs has a very real and direct impact on them. As they said, when a bomb goes off in America we are punished for it in Palestine.

However, the recent murder of the Italian activist and journalist Vittorio Arrigoni has highlighted a minority group in the region who are not so welcoming of Westerners - no matter how sympathetic those Westerners may be to the Palestinian cause. On top of that, with the recent killing of Bin Laden by US forces, one could be forgiven in being extra vigilant against revenge attacks. Gaza is a small place - a group of touring Westerners may stick out somewhat. This is certainly one for the risk assessment check list....

Mind you, whilst you can not rely on anyone but yourself for risk reduction - i still have faith in the warmth and hospitality of the Palestinian people. The caring response and subsequent hunt for the salafist militia by the Palestinians was an encouraging sign. 

Fear can never be an excuse from trying to build bridges and break barriers. 

I need to remember my ultimate objective - to see life through my own lens and to learn from my own experience

 

Okay, thats it for now. My first blog and, depending on the response, hopefully not my last.