A while back, I was writing an article on “The aftermath of War” and as I searched through endless pages of articles, pictures, and quotes from the internet, I came across this picture of a starving, almost dead child about to be devoured by a waiting vulture. I took a break from the article I was writing and starred endlessly at this picture. I starred for about 2 minutes nonstop. I became more curious to know more about the picture. Where did it come from, what circumstances brought about such ill fate, was the little child devoured by the waiting vulture and most of all who took the picture.
So, I started my research.
Apparently, the picture was taken by Kevin carter a photographer shooting scenes of the famine in Sudan in 1993. The picture won the Pulitzer price for feature photography in 1994. Then, Kevin Carter was already famous for shooting such heart rendering scene. When asked what had happened to the child, Kevin said he had chased away the vulture but couldn't assist the child because they (photographers and reporters) have been warned not to touch the victims for the fear of diseases.
Carter, despite winning the Pulitzer award, came under criticism that he did little to help the child. Subsequent research revealed that the child did survive but died 14years later from malaria fever.
Carter won the Pulitzer award for his image, but the darkness of that day never lifted from him.
Four months after being awarded the Pulitzer price for feature photography, Carter died of suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning at age 33.
His last words were, “I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings, and corpses, and anger, and pain.”