Documenting life in Zimbabwe

Sweep aside the heavy curtains at the entrance of the Chapelle d’École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and you will be confronted by photographs documenting the decline of Zimbabwe under the rule of Robert Mugabe, and the lives of people suffering on so many levels.

Bedridden by illness, 76 year old Nyatwa relies on his 22 year old grand-daughter to care for him. Robin Hammond, Panos, Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award

Your wounds will be named silence is the work of Robin Hammond – and it’s photojournalism at its best.

A five year old that lives on the rubbish dump. He is cared for by his grandmother after he was abandoned at first by his father and then his mother. Robin Hammond, Panos, Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award

The 37 year old freelance photojournalist from New Zealand has covered stories in Zimbabwe several times. But it was an award from the Carmignac Foundation which enabled him to spend 5 months in Zimbabwe between December 2011 and April 2012.

As a body of work, Hammond’s photographs reflect depth of research, tenacity and time – time taken to understand the problems facing Zimbabwe and time to get to know the subjects of his documentary work.

The Cold Storage Commission in Bulawayo which once slaughtered and butchered beef for export to Europe. Robin Hammond, Panos, Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award

Hammond captures the scale of Zimbabwe’s decline and struggling economy. An acronym of Wendell Steavenson:”LAOs” or “Large Abandoned Objects” referring to derelict infrastructure in countries of the former Soviet Union easily comes to mind.

But then there is the human suffering – poverty, unemployment, farm evictions and the plight of people living with HIV.

56 year old Zacharia spent his last days at a hospice for HIV positive patients run by the Catholic Church in Harare. Three hours after being bathed he died. Robin Hammond, Panos, Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award

Hammond’s long assignment in Zimbabwe was not without risks. He was imprisoned twice by Zimbabwean authorities and was eventually deported. As he notes:

“My interaction with fellow prisoners reaffirmed my impression that Zimbabweans are some of the friendliest people in the world, and my interrogation at the hands of the police made me understand why this is a country living in fear. Before my time in prison I understood that fear on an intellectual level, after, I understood it on a much deeper emotional one.”

The exhibit opened on November 9 and runs until December 9. If you are visiting Paris, this is a must see exhibit.

Robin Hammond is represented by Panos Pictures. Photographs are published with the kind permission of the Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award.

Author: GD