I am haunted by the photographs in this piece, especially the photo of the boy in the Grease t-shirt. The boy, whose age is unknown, though my guess is that he is 9-10 years old, seems wise beyond his years. His stance--hand on his hip, body swayed to one side--and his gaze directly into the camera offers a challenge to the photographer/viewer. "Sure. Take my picture. And don't forget me because I won't forget you. Or this place. Or what has happened to my country." The Grease t-shirt is wrapped in unintentional symbolism and irony. Likely the shirt was provided by aid workers in the refuge camp he lives in. Did aid workers understand the symbolism of a young refuge boy wearing such a symbol of western culture and dominance? Did the boy wear the shirt as an act of defiance, to usurp that western dominance and pervert it with his own act of defiance? I wonder what happened to this boy. Is he still alive? Does he live in the west? These are the questions that haunt me, that have haunted me for ten years, and that will continue to do so until I can find the answers I seek.
Here's a link to a blog post about Jean Mohr's photos in this essay. It is from the blog I cite below as one of my favorites.
http://www.stonesoferasmus.com/2006/09/jean-mohrs-photographs-of-boys-in-after.html#more
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