Date: Sat, 17 May 2014 12:48:17 +0200
<http://proof.org/latest-news/2014/5/12/the-horrific-plight-of-ethiopian-mig
rants-in-yemeni-smuggling-camps-photojournalist-michael-kirby-smith-speaks-o
n-capturing-an-underreported-story> The Horrific Plight of Ethiopian
Migrants in Yemeni Smuggling Camps: Photojournalist Michael Kirby Smith
Speaks on Capturing an Underreported Story
May 17, 2014
"Photography can serve many roles, including as a social service to provide
the news, exposing injustices, and educating people outside of their
worldview. This particular Yemen project for the Human Rights Watch report
will be read by US and Yemeni officials and potentially engender some
change. Through that report, there could be a direct effect on the things
that happen to the Ethiopians, or at least that's the hope." - Michael
Kirby Smith
One Saturday in late March, I had the pleasure of interviewing
photojournalist Michael Kirby Smith about his latest work, a photo series
focusing on a widely underreported topic: a ring of smugglers in Yemen that
hold captive, torture, exhort, and even rape Ethiopian migrants attempting
to make the perilous journey from Ethiopia to Yemen and beyond.
In addition to regularly contributing to The New York Times, Michael's work
is syndicated through Redux Pictures and has appeared in publications such
as Bloomberg Businessweek, National Geographic, and Time magazine, among
others. His work has also been featured in reports by NGOs such as Human
Rights Watch. Additionally, Michael works on personal documentary film and
photography projects. One of these personal projects documents social issues
in Yemen following the end of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule.
When sitting down with Michael, he showed me the body of work derived from
his four visits to Yemen, focusing specifically on his latest photo series
on Ethiopian migrants. Michael shared his powerful images with me, including
the portrait of an Ethiopian man disfigured after the Saudi army poured acid
on his limbs and a landscape shot of a mass of Ethiopian migrants surviving
outside in the elements with no shelter whatsoever.
Below are excerpts from our interview:
Tess Ranahan: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background in
photography. When did you start becoming interested in and practicing
photography?
Michael Kirby Smith: I grew up in Dallas, Texas and studied art at The
University of Texas at Austin. I first started taking pictures when I was a
troubled teenager, although I had no idea what I was doing at the time. I
just roamed around the states meeting strangers and documenting these solo
trips. The memories from this period in my life were largely influential in
my decision to pursue a career in documentary photography, along with a
growing interest in politics after 9/11. After deciding to pursue
photojournalism, I moved to New York and learned almost everything through
assisting and working as a photographer.
TR: When and why did you start working in Yemen?
MKS: I started working in Yemen in late 2011 before former President Ali
Abdullah Saleh left the country and shortly after the GCC [Gulf Cooperation
Council] agreement. When I first arrived, it was very tense. Most people,
including myself, didn't think Saleh would leave and a larger conflict would
break out. I was interested in Yemen because there is direct US involvement
in the country, and it is very underreported.
TR: Can you give us a brief overview of the concept behind your latest photo
series?
MKS: The majority of the migration from Eastern Africa to the Middle East
and beyond comes through Yemen. That includes people from Somalia, Ethiopia,
Djibouti, and other countries. This particular project is about the
Ethiopians that are migrating to and through Yemen and about the human
rights abuses that have happened to them. I focused on the Ethiopians, as
opposed to Somalis, because the Somali story is being covered very well (and
by people that I admire).
TR: How did you hear about this issue-is it something you heard about
previously or did you stumble upon it while you were in Yemen?
MKS: I was interested in what was happening in the south of Yemen and ended
up outside of Aden, one of the major port cities, to cover migration, which
is a major added strain on the infrastructure of the country. While I was
there I ran into a large Ethiopian group. They told me that they had no
help, no resources-that there were no organizations helping them and they
asked who they could talk to to help them. and I had no idea, other than
UNHCR [The UN High Commissioner for Refugees]. As I began to travel and
learn more about the situation, I realized that there was an astounding
number of Ethiopians coming into the country. I researched and talked to
people about the situation and [realized] the scope of the problem. Later,
when another trip led me to the north of the country-that's when I learned
how bad it was.
TS: And what did you see, in terms of the way the Ethiopians were being
treated?
MKS: What I learned is the Ethiopians are part of a gigantic smuggling ring.
There are multiple legs on the journey from Ethiopia to Yemen-each with a
fixed amount that the Ethiopians need to pay in order to get through to the
next leg. Along the way there are people [smugglers] that are lying and
recruiting. If the Ethiopians don't have enough money for the next leg, they
end up in a smuggler's camp, where they are tortured and extorted for money
until those smugglers get paid and then pass them on to the next smuggler.
It is this long chain of complex smuggling and horrible things that happen
along the way. Not to mention that the journey alone is brutal.
TR: Did you have access to the smuggler's camps?
MKS: I did, yeah. When I was in the north of the country, I visited two
camps. One of the camps was raided by the government shortly after a Yemini
soldier, who seemed to have been involved with the smuggling, was shot. I
went there and photographed, and had a better idea of what a smuggler's camp
looks like, where it is, how they used it, where the smugglers slept, where
the people slept, what they did to torture the people. I also got the
smuggler's journals, which show Ethiopians' names and numbers-their
book-keeping.
TR: So did you ever have the opportunity to take pictures of a smuggler camp
when it was still filled with people? If so, what was that like?
MKS: The first camp I photographed didn't have people. There were a lot of
safety issues to consider getting to the camps, because I was reporting on a
subject from which people profit. At the time, I could only arrange to visit
an abandoned camp. Even this was really touchy because of the need to be
accompanied by the right people with strong relationships to sheiks and the
smugglers. The second camp I visited was in the company of a sheik and it
had only a few Somalians, [no Ethiopians].
TR: Your work aligns with PROOF's mission to use photography as a medium to
create awareness about social justice issues. Did you set out with an
intention to create a social justice-related body of work?
MKS: I didn't necessarily set out to pursue a social justice theme, but I do
feel social justice is inherent when documenting underreported stories.
These stories are so often about the violation of some basic human right,
and photography exposes that injustice in a very visceral, immediate way.
TR: When you're taking pictures of people, what's the protocol-do you ask
them beforehand if you have permission to take their shot? Do you ever have
situations where people are openly hostile towards you?
MKS: You definitely run into that. But I think most people know that you are
there doing a job and they respect that you're trying to learn about their
culture and you actually care enough to be taking those pictures. For the
most part, people aren't confrontational. With that said, inevitably you
can't always ask permission, otherwise you would miss the most dynamic and
authentic photographs. Sometimes you do take pictures and people get upset,
but you learn through experience when it's worth pushing and when it's not.
TR: Do you have a favorite image in this Yemen series?
MKS: I think this is a very strong image. This woman was raped by a Yemeni
smuggler and that's the baby from her attacker. She was so loving, and it
was just so touching to see how in love she was with that child. It was her
beacon of hope in all of this chaos-to me, that is something really
beautiful.
TR: It is a beautiful and powerful image. Speaking of the power of
photography, what role do you think photography can play in creating social
change?
MKS: Photography can serve many roles, including as a social service to
provide the news, exposing injustices, and educating people outside of their
worldview. This particular Yemen project for the Human Rights Watch report
will be read by US and Yemeni officials and potentially engender some
change. Through that report, there could be a direct effect on the things
that happen to the Ethiopians, or at least that's the hope.
TR: Right, that's so great your photos will provide visual testimony in a
significant report that has the power to elicit concrete changes. Can you
talk more about how photography, as opposed to writing or other mediums, has
the power to change hearts and minds?
MKS: Photography is unique in its ability to elicit an instant emotional
reaction in ways that other mediums need more time to establish. You look at
a picture and you respond. Because of this, there are certain pictures that
have changed perspectives on war, or brought evidence and awareness to
atrocities and social injustice. Of course, there are degrees to which
photography can be effective. Our generation is living in an exciting time
because of how photography is used in new platforms through social media and
its direct connection with viewers.
TR: For your international stories, how long does it take you-from the
genesis of an idea to shooting to editing-to produce a photo series?
MKS: It varies so much depending on whether you're on assignment and how
much time you have with a subject. With Yemen in particular, I spent over
four months there on my first trip. When I first arrived, I was studying
Arabic, learning the culture, and taking pictures. Now when I go back to the
country, I can accomplish the same amount of work in a much shorter time
because I know what the story is, and I know how to work there.
TR: What advice would you give to someone starting out in this field,
looking to be an international photojournalist who documents social issues?
MKS: I would say to know what your story is. Pick a story you feel
passionate about and really know what the story is that you want to tell.
And just have laser focus on the story and worry about everything else later
on. All the photographers who I most admire have done personal projects or
are working on projects with that same level of focus. It's like choosing
something that is accessible to you, that you're interested in, and again,
really knowing what the story is that you're trying to tell.
TR: That's sound advice. While on the topic, I'm sure many aspiring
photojournalists and others are wondering where you obtain the funds to do
personal projects. Do you usually obtain grants or does it come out of your
own pocketbook?
MKS: I started going to Yemen on my own dollar. I pick up some assignments
there, and I'm in close communication with a lot of publications while I'm
over there. If there's a story, they put me on assignment. But Yemen is not
a country that's consistently in the news cycle with the exception of topics
related to Al-Qaeda and drones.
TR: Right. Do you have any ideas brewing for your next shoot? Or do you
want to continue your work in Yemen?
MKS: I've just started doing research for a project in a new location, but I
will continue to go back to Yemen. I actually just got a grant to go back. I
got a Pulitzer Crisis Grant to work there this summer.
TR: Congratulations, that's very exciting! Well, thanks for taking the time
to talk with me today and for giving us a window into your work and process.
We look forward to seeing what work comes out of your future endeavors.
Photo credits: Michael Kirby Smith
Photo credits: Michael Kirby Smith
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"These stories are so often about the violation of some basic human right,
and photography exposes that injustice in a very visceral, immediate way."
Michael photographs with a digital SLR and a few lenses. For the panoramics
he uses a Hasselblad XPan on 35mm film. He uses a Hasselblad 500c Medium
format camera.
Michael photographs with a digital SLR and a few lenses. For the panoramics
he uses a Hasselblad XPan on 35mm film. He uses a Hasselblad 500c Medium
format camera.
http://static.squarespace.com/static/50e663cae4b0d5ee8b73a797/t/53711892e4b0
200433736c67/1399920786648/?format=750w
-Tess Ranahan
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