We Will Fight (Continued)
2009FEAR I am thinking is the reason why I am travelling to the Macha Tinku. Why else would I want to witness a festival where 60 plus villages descend or climb to the town of Macha to meet celebrate and spill blood? The arguments of journalistic curiosity and the hope of telling a good photo story from the Danger Zone, although both play an important role they dont seem to stand a thorough questioning of the conscience. FEAR that most powerful of sentiments seems to provide the answer. Conquer your FEARS risk something and the potential rewards are huge both personally and professionally. Many a photojournalist has taken this maxim at heart; risking life in the Danger Zone in the hope of being rewarded by those living outside of it. If judged by the type of the images that year after year win the World Press Photo awards, the gamble seems to pay off. Life in the Danger Zone is often simple you are in danger other people are in danger survival is what matters. And the pictures? Well the pictures are gladly received by the picture news desks and mostly remain uncriticized as they stem from the Danger Zone and therefore hold unquestioned value unquestionable value. But why? Modern society as much as it delegates killing other men to a professional soldier it delegates the job of witnessing what goes on in the Danger Zone to professional photographers, journalists and camera people. This going to the Danger Zone is perceived as an act of bravery and serves as a bulwark against critique. It is very attractive to work with the knowledge that we wont be judged too much for the images we take instead we are judged more on the basis of the geographical location in which the images have been made and at the same time we arguably gain social standing as we fall under the category of the brave. I imagine that the people that take part in the Tinku are subject to similar social phenomena.