Justin Kilcullen of Trócaire responds to criticism by Go columnist MANCHAN MAGAN
I AM WRITING in response to Manchán Magan’s column “Tracking the Trail” in Go on March 28th last which referred to Trócaire’s Lenten campaign. I strongly disagree with his statements about our use of imagery. Our campaigns express complex issues about injustice, poverty and global conflict, including the use of child soldiers, in a way that protects the integrity of Africa and its people.
Trócaire adheres to a strict code of conduct on images and messages, a framework produced by Irish development organisations under our umbrella group, Dóchas. We ensure that our communications are balanced and portray people with sensitivity and respect for their dignity. We do not stereotype, sensationalise or discriminate against people, situations or places in our images.
Part of Trócaire’s mandate is to raise awareness about the root causes of poverty and injustice. Our Lenten campaign this year, about people forced from home by war, looks at the situation in Somalia in east Africa, where over one million people have had to flee their homes to escape violence.
Our campaign is centred on the experiences of Khalid Salat. At just seven years old Khalid fled his home in Mogadishu with his family when his neighbourhood came under rocket attack. They have lost their home, their possessions and now share a cramped one-bedroom home in the Somalia/Kenya border. This is the truth of Khalid’s life.
Our campaign is not based on a “manipulation of the image of Africa”, but is founded on the lived experience of this young boy, and of 26 million people around the world who have also suffered the misery of war. Were you to travel to Somalia you would meet countless people with similar stories. But Somalia is not open to tourism. It is one of the most dangerous countries in the world.
Darfur in Sudan has one of the largest humanitarian disasters today, with over three million people driven from their villages, many burned out of their homes. In the Democratic Republic of Congo we have witnessed the largest loss of life in a conflict since the second World War – five million people have been killed. Those countries are not safe for tourists and we cannot ignore the reality.
At the same time, many countries in Africa have been able to harness their unique splendour and develop thriving tourism industries, creating jobs and benefiting communities. Africa is undeniably a beautiful and vibrant continent, full of strong, resilient, resourceful people and our campaigns reflect this. In the past years we have shown the resilience of children from around the world suffering terrible circumstances in a dignified, respectful manner while highlighting the hope and opportunity of the continent.
Poverty in Africa has a long and deep-rooted history. Trócaire’s work for a better, fairer society is inspired by the hopes of millions of ordinary African people caught in a complex cycle of poverty and injustice. Our Lenten campaign is essential to help us raise the funds and goodwill needed to support people in Africa as they work their way out of poverty. We are grateful to the Irish public who continue to actively support our work.
Justin Kilcullen is director of Trócaire