A VOICE FOR INJUSTICE

The lens of the renowned photojournalist Reza De-ghati, citizen of the world, is trained on taking photographs which will later become a clear message to mankind. Some of his work has become a symbol of certain events that have shaken the world community. Pain and suffering stare out from his photographs from all corners of the globe. These are photographic masterpieces which depict the fate of people caught up in the epicentre of war and revolution. How many such faces and eyes have suffered the tragedy of the grievous loss of loved ones and friends, of homeland and home, of people torn from their everyday lives…For Reza Deghati it doesn't matter about their ethnicity or the colour of their skin. He takes a photograph so that the images later become evidence of the injustices in the world. Reza has caught on camera all the conflicts in different parts of the world. His photographs have been published in "Time" magazine and "National Geographic" and they have been published as separate albums, including "Masud: From the Russians to the Taliban: Twenty years of Afghan Resistance", "Peace in Galilee: Beirut", "The Kurds: Burnt Songs" and "Buddha's Paintbrush".

Reza DEGHATI recently visited Baku and was kind enough to agree to talk to a R+ correspondent.

- You are in Baku to take part in the international youth festival and the "Children's Eyes on Earth" competition that are being held as part of the international campaign for a dialogue on the environment - IDEA - which operates on the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, the vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. We'd like to know your impressions. What do you think: how do children see this world, and who are they, the earth's younger generation?

- The impressions are many. The idea of this festival is very precious today. The theme of the competition was "I love nature". There are always about 300 photo exhibitions and festivals being held in the world. But this was the first one organized by us in which children have participated. In all 1,200 children from 91 countries took part and we selected the top 100 works and posted them on the childrenseyesonearth.org website where anyone could see them. There were a great many fine works which made it very difficult to choose the best. First place went to eight-year old Anastasiya Vorobko from St. Petersburg in Russia. I am able to say that this festival pursues two objectives. On the one hand, it introduces children to photography. Nowadays it is very difficult to draw children towards anything. For example, who is interested these days in the need to think about ecology? But if you say to a child: "You have to take a photograph on the subject of ecology" this makes him look for a photograph, the right shot and to get close to nature. Ten years ago a person would have to have reached the age of 30-35 to establish oneself as a good photographer. But technical progress, access to information and the Internet, for children as well, have sharpened their attention and they have seen good photographs. Now, you can become a good photographer at 12 and 15 years of age.

And the second aspect is to show this subject through the eyes of children to adults and give them the opportunity to look closely at what concerns children. Incidentally, I should point out that a more precise perception of the world is peculiar to children. And here's another thing. At the festival there were many visitors from different countries. We showed them all Azerbaijan, they had heard the name of this country and knew about it. There were also two participants from Azerbaijan. Unfortunate-ly, none of them was successful. But this project has only been going on for a year. And a lot of work must be done in the media and in the schools so that Azerbaijani children are aware of this festival, can take part in it and be successful in the future.

- But, on the other hand, technical progress has turned photography into such an ordinary phenomenon that anyone today who has a decent digital camera with an "all powerful" lens with formidable dimensions can declare themselves to be a professional photographer. What do you think of this phenomenon and what are its positive and negative aspects?

- Does the price of the pen a person writes with alter the value of what he has written? I can give a very expensive pen to an illiterate person and ask him to write a poem. But this doesn't mean he will. Nizami's verses would not be worse if he wrote them with a piece of rock. It is the same with a camera - it is merely a tool used by people. When I don't have my camera with me I use my phone and still achieve my objective. But I can say that the more people use cameras the better. The world is now at a stage of progress when there are lots of cameras and they are affordable. Because photography is a new language, a new world with which a person can convey everything he wants to say.

- Your latest reportages were from the Arab countries where there has been a war of the revolutions recently. What do you think about what is happening in the Arab world right now?  What is it - a game of high-power interests or a historical necessity?

- You could say it is both. Firstly, all these revolutions are happening because of historical necessity, but many countries, Europe and the USA, are intervening in these processes trying to take their slice of the cake. The people themselves wanted these changes and it will be 20, 50,100 years before they understand what is best for them.

- In one interview you said you would like to be a voice for all the injustices in the world. How do you think your voice would sound and would it be heard?

- I can't answer that question for myself. Millions of people all over the world see my photographs.  Some 600,000 people see my photos in National Geographic. I can't say what kind of impact my work has on all of them. But sometimes people come up to me and say that my photographs have changed their life.

- How were you able to grasp the fact that your work would be on show at such an important venue, from the historical and cultural point of view, as the Louvre Museum…

- It is not important to me where my pictures are shown. I've even had to exhibit them in an Afghan village. I have worked a great deal with Ahmedshah Masud - he is an Afghan national hero - and I was once taking photographs in the Afghan village of Panjshir when he said to me: "Why are you taking these pictures, these peasants will never see them." "They will," I promised. Masud was killed in 2001 but I never forgot my promise. And in 2008 I went back to this village and brought 50 pictures with me that had been framed in Kabul. People came from all the surrounding villages to see them and I can tell you this was much more important to me than the exhibition at the Louvre.

- In dangerous places a photograph is often evidence of injustice, but one is helpless to prevent it as one has to do one's professional job. What does photography mean to you and what are you prepared to do catch the moment? Can a photograph be compromised for an outburst of emotion when a valuable picture might bring even more recognition?

- First of all, we go to dangerous places in order to show the world what is happening, but at the same time try not to interfere in what is happening, but that is our ethical duty. But there are times when I have had the chance to take the best photograph ever but people came first. At times like these one should not take photographs. There were times when my help was needed, and I gave it. For example, there was a time in Afghanistan when I was travelling along a desert road towards Kabul - this was at the height of the war with the Taliban - when a mini-bus carrying refugees from Kabul came towards me. When the bus was about 50 metres away it hit a mine. It burst into flames and overturned. When I saw this I grabbed my camera, jumped out of the car and ran towards the bus. But just then a small girl leapt out of the bus, covered in blood and ran up to me, crying: "Emi! Emi!" ("Uncle! Uncle!"). I could have taken a picture there and then which could have won all kinds of competitions, but instead I ran up to her and hugged her. All my clothes were covered in blood and I thought that the world needs my photos, but what was more important was that this girl needed someone to hug her.   

- Have you ever had to rescue anyone from death?

- Yes, and I have been rescued, too.  It has happened a hundred times that I have been on the brink of death and even said a prayer but I have been saved. I have been injured many times, with dead people all around me, but I have survived.

- You photographed the aftermath of the bloody tragedy of 20 January and you were in Xocali. What motivated you, first and foremost, to go and take these pictures? Did these events draw you there as an Azerbaijani or as a professional?

- From February to September 2010 there was an exhibition of my photographs from dangerous areas of the world called "Crossinngd Destinies" at the Luxemburg station on the Paris Metro. Among the pictures was one showing an Azerbaijani widow mourning the death of her son and husband after the capture of Agdam by the Armenian separatists in 1992. She was in tears. I can still hear her crying now. The Armenian cut-throats gouged out both their eyes. By the end of August the Armenian leaders had heard about this photograph and demanded that the exhibition orders get rid of it because it was clear evidence of the war crimes of the Armenian guerillas in Azerbaijan. This request was, of course, rejected. But literally two days later this photograph was ripped to pieces by unknown persons. When I think about this my feelings are two-fold. On the one hand, they are bitter, and on the other I rejoice. Surely the Armenian leaders couldn't believe that if they tore up one photograph as evidence of the atrocities and inhumanity of the Armenian guerrillas in Azerbaijan they would be destroying all evidence of this? I witnessed the shocking crimes by the Armenians against Azerbaijanis at Xocali on 26 February 1992. Thousands of Azerbaijanis were tortured and killed. When their bodies were found they had been mutilated, with their eyes gouged out. And all this time the Armenian guerrillas who tortured innocent civilians carried tea spoons in their pockets and boasted about these "weapons" used to take people's eyes out. You can now understand my motivation in taking all these photographs…

- What do you see as the greater purport of photojournalism - in art or as a means of conveying information?

- The word "photojournalism" consists of two parts - photo and journalism. In other words, of course, a person must first of all know all about photography: how to build a composition, how to arrange the light, how to choose a shot. But he must also be a good journalist because not every artistic photograph conveys information correctly and justly.

- What do you see as the social, public and political value of photography?

- You know, it is people who change the world. And the people who are changing the world must know what is happening in it. A photograph is merely a transitional means of changing the world. A photo shows people the truth and affects their souls. If you look at the history of the last century, there have been photographs which have altered the course of history. For example, just one picture played a part in ending the Vietnam War. People in America, when they saw this picture, took to the streets demanding an end to the war. Or the recent events and revolutions in the Arab world began with photographs on Facebook. People saw such-and-such an event depicted in a photo and took to the streets. So we can boldly say that a photo can change the world.  

- With what do you connect the development of photography? Is it easier in the developed countries or, on the other hand, do people have to undergo hardship in order to become good photographers?

- This depends on all kinds of things. If you compare a country to the sea, when the water is calm people will swim in it and not drown. But if there is a storm at sea people have to be more careful, show greater skill and be able to swim. But at the same time a person has to have talent and ability.

- What can you say about photojournalism today? Which schools are the most well known and the best in the world?

- Ten years ago I would have named France, USA and Britain as among the best schools with a developed photographic art. I travel all over the world and I hold master classes and lessons in many countries of Asia and Africa and I can say that the best photographs now are everywhere. For example, in 1992, I gave photography lessons in Bangladesh. Now, photographs from Bangladesh have been recognized as the best. In 2002 one of my pupils - a photographer from Afghanistan - won a Pullitzer Prize for his work. In France the majority of the well-known photographers are people who have come to the city, like myself and the Brazilian Saldago, who has been living and working there for many years. 

- Who would you name among the best photographers in the world today?

- (smiles) The best photographers are these children who have been taking part in the festival.

- Briefly, what can you say about the development of photojournalism in Azerbaijan? What state is it in?

- There is a very interesting approach to photography and art in general in Azerbaijan. Many Azerbaijani artists have won world renown. But the future of Azerbaijani photojournalism lies ahead. Although there are some very gifted photographers here - like Sanan Alakparov, Farid Mammadov and others.

- Are you planning to open a photography school in Azerbaijan and hold lessons and master classes here?

- I have met with photographers in Baku, shown my work and shown films. In 1997 I held a master class here together with UNICEF and we published a book. I believe that Azerbaijan needs a good school of multimedia - photography and video. I opened an educational centre in Afghanistan and we taught not just photography but also trained radio journalists and graphic designers. The work of the girls who studied at these courses over a period of ten months was nominated for an Emmy Award. If a school is to be opened it needs hard work and the right spirit. I would be very happy to open a school of mine in Azerbaijan.

- This is not the first time you have been to Baku. What have been your impressions? Has the city changed much in the three years since you were last here?

- I have been coming to Baku for 30 years. Of course it has changed a great deal in that time, but I don't know of a single town which has changed so much.

- You have visited so many towns and countries all over the world.  Which one do you think Baku resembles the most?

- I would say it is Paris. The streets and the houses in Icari Sahar (Icheri Sheher; Old Town) in particular remind me of the streets and buildings of Paris, and the redeveloped boulevard.