A friend once asked award-winning photographer Walter Astrada why he chose to focus his work on gender-related violence. Astrada answered simply, “Why not?”
“I feel as a man, but also as a human being, responsible for what is going on,” he said. “When people don’t see what’s going on, or don’t know what’s going on, nothing will change.”
Astrada, a photojournalist, presented his images of global conflict and gender-related violence to a full house Wednesday night in the Fred W. Smith Forum. He said his work, though graphic and disturbing, has an important purpose: to raise awareness.
Junior journalism major Tori Meador said not only was she impacted by Astrada’s photography, but the presentation also related to what she’s learning in class.
“In my multimedia course we just learned about putting things in the middle (of the frame),” Meador said. “The picture with the man in the center, completely covered in blood, really forced you to confront the issue.”
Astrada’s photos depict conflict and violence worldwide. The first portion of his presentation focused on the conflicts he witnessed in Kenya in 2008 and in Madagascar in 2009.
“The conflict in Kenya, for example, was a result of conflict between politicians and a president who didn’t want to step down,” he said. “The result is a lot of people are killed and the land damaged.”
Astrada went on to discuss that issues like these are hard to fix, unless we step back and look at history.
“The best thing to know is history, because if we know history, you can see what will happen next,” he said.
The second portion of his presentation focused on violence against women in Guatemala, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and India. Pictures depicting rape victims in the Congo, women in Guatemala forced to live in shelters to avoid femicide — female genocide — and victims of dowry deaths in India flashed on the screen, shocking the audience, some of whom were unaware of these global issues.
Even though his work is focused on violence against women, Astrada urged the audience, the vast majority journalism students, to stay objective.
“We need to cover both sides,” Astrada said. “Try not to be sympathizing with just one side. I give more time to the victims, for sure. The people who are suffering are underrepresented. I am objective but always I am more pro-victim.”
Although Astrada was invited to the university as “one of the most remarkable photojournalists today,” Pictures of the Year International Director Richard Shaw said these special lectures are also used as means to raise social awareness.
“We look for a balance of two things,” Shaw said about inviting guest speakers. “Someone of a high professional standing with the credentials and whose work reflects on our society.”
It’s not just about the opportunity to meet famous photojournalists. It’s about showcasing issues going on in the world that aren’t widely publicized, he said.
“(The) primary goal (for photojournalists) is to reflect society, to show what’s going on” Shaw said. “In many cases it’s not just speaking about photojournalism, but also a social issue.”
