Where violence is the main negotiating tool and peace a spurious concept, Moises Saman portrays the resilience of the human spirit beyond the dogmas of religion and nationalism. He’s a photojournalist who has covered wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as projects in Pakistan, Nepal, Haiti, Lebanon, El Salvador, and Cuba. Above photo: Aita Chaab, Lebanon, 2006 © Moises Saman
I interviewed Moises via email in the Summer of 2008, while he was in Afghanistan. This interview was shelved for over a year for possible publication elsewhere, long before I started this blog. I’m pleased to be able to finally share it here.
Juozas Cernius: Your photographs frequently depict the consequences of both personal and public policy at some of our most difficult moments. You first began visiting places like Afghanistan and Iraq around 2001. How did you begin to approach the narratives of these conflicts, and how has your approach changed since those first trips?
Moises Saman: I think that the initial narratives of these or any other conflicts are always shaped by the initial events that you witness in front of you. As a photojournalist, covering the news of the day takes over any kind of greater understanding about the social or economic situation that led to the conflict.
I believe my approach changed after repeated visits to these conflicts where i was able to turn my attention to the subtleties and the daily life struggles of the people living under war. Their life stories offer a true window into understanding the root of the violence while also bringing a necessary human quality to the narrative of conflict, so often overrun by images of guns and destruction.
Above photo: Fassuta, Israel, 2006 © Moises Saman
JC: There’s something very haunting about the depiction of death in your photos. There is the initial unsettling nature of knowing you are looking at someone who has died unnaturally, likely violently, but this feeling is also implied when death is not literally shown. However, before the scenario becomes emotionally unbearable, we’re rescued by your treatment of the subject: dynamic composition, unusual lighting, and the compelling dignity of those you portray. Does your aesthetic treatment pull the work closer to an art form, wherein something about your personal expression is present or is your approach intentionally going in a direction suitable to formats such as artistic exhibition or book publishing?
MS: The way I photograph a subject is almost a visceral reaction to what i am witnessing. I think it is unavoidable not to intricate yourself and your emotions in photographing war and the people affected by it. Without sounding too philosophical about my work, by using composition, lighting, and narrative I aim to create a bridge of understanding and compassion for the viewer, a way to relate with the subject that transcends our differences.
For me, books and exhibitions offer yet another means of getting the work across to new audiences that might not be aware of it through more traditional means such as news magazines or newspapers.
Above photo: Kandahar, Afghanistan, 2004 © Moises Saman
JC: In some of your photos, it appears as though you are amidst battle. Is this the case, and if so, how does the proximity to danger affect your work? Can you speak of an experience in particular where your personal safety may have been jeopardized?
MS: Working in these extreme situations is difficult on many respects. The closer you get to where the fighting is actually taking place the more unpredictable and chaotic the situation becomes. As a photographer in these places you learn to work fast, always aware of your surroundings and the mood around you.
As a photojournalist working in war zones it is only a matter of time before you encounter a nasty situation closer than you might like. Close encounters are very real and remind you of the realities that the people living with war experience on a daily basis, not just when you are there to record them with a camera.
On the first days of the war in Afghanistan I was with a group of photographers approaching the front line between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban, near Bagram airport, when a US fighter jet bombed our position thinking it was a Taliban area. Luckily none of us where seriously hurt but it was a close call that remind us of how vulnerable we are.
Above photo: Kabul, Afghanistan, 2008 © Moises Saman
JC: You’ve seen, first hand, how the rhetoric of war reaches the ground. As is well known, justifications for armed engagements are greatly varied and contested. Has your proximity to numerous conflict zones changed or reinforced your personal convictions?
MS: I remain very much opposed to war as a means for change. Undoubtedly, in every conflict civilians bear the ugly brunt of violence while the politicians making the case for war rarely understand the misery and pain that their actions bring on the ground.
JC: What are you are trying to illuminate in a war zone that may not be perceivable elsewhere?
MS: For me it remains important to bring a human face to the conflict that it is easier for the viewer to relate to and find unjust. Somehow, by bringing the effects of war into the lives of “regular” people I aim to create a connection with the viewer, a way to relate to a fellow human being regardless of religion, race, and country. I am not so much interested in the shooting part of war but in the effects and daily struggles that test the dignity of human beings surrounded by war and destruction.
Moises Saman, (b. Lima, Peru, in 1974), is a freelance photographer based in Brooklyn, New York.
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