Oli and I went to the National Theatre to see this photography exhibit, a selection of relatively recent Reuters photos included in the book of the same title. The theme was generally one of conflict and tended to be depressing. The one we remembered most was the photo of three men who died on the sea crossing from Africa to Europe, their bodies washed ashore. There was a screen showing the week's photos, which had a few funny ones in them. You need to laugh a bit after that.
The exhibit is a good wake-up call for the world. We must always remember that elsewhere, war, hate and poverty are everyday things. Living in London makes you just concerned for yourself, where your only thought is I hope I never get mugged. Of course, that points to bigger problems that still exist in the First World. But people here are more sheltered and without jolting images of the rest of the world, I don't think they would care.
Sadly, I think some people in the developed world will still be unmoved. Or maybe they will be, for a few minutes. At the end of the day, the mere fact that the images are jolting suggests something unreachable, so remote, so foreign.
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