Voices from Within Photographs of African Children

VOICES FROM WITHIN is a book of duotone photographs of children from Africa south of the Sahara. It celebrates the lives of ordinary children and their everyday life: how they are nutured and reared, the games they play, their adolescence and growing up years, their education and their role within their families and immediate enviroment. Television or print reportage about Africa is invaribly negative and usually consists of natural disasters, civill wars, political violence, massive bloodshed despair and desperation. Totally lacking is a multidimensional overview of key issues or a fair representation of the diversity of insights that may shed light on the problems and glories of the continent. A glaring, and definitely misleading example of distorted reportage is that in which western media presents the typical African child as hungry, malnourished, lethargic and disease-ridden: an epitome of misery and a victim of unfortuante circumstances. In their effort to raise funds, charitable organizations shock television viewers with close-up images of potbellied, emaciated children, many cachetic with skin hanging loose on flimsy skeletal frames. In these pictures, the suroundings are generally stark, bare, and devoid of any comforts of life; healthy childen and adults are usually not evident. This deep concern for the unfortunate and disadvantaged has shifted focus from those millions of African children who live relatively normal lives, even in areas of conflict, famine or other forms of human suffering. In fact the vast majority of African children belong to this category. Visble malnutrition, usually the result of war or drought or other exceptional circumstances affect only about 3 - 4% of African children (UNICEF).Fayemi, A. Olusegun is the author of 'Voices from Within Photographs of African Children', published 1999 under ISBN 9780971507609 and ISBN 0971507600.