Richard Mosse and the DRC

http://www.richardmosse.com/photography.php?pid=1

I can't even evoke words right now for the images that Richard Mosse has produced over the conflict in the DRC, Congo, and surrounding areas. These photographs are more than images for me, they are personal. I've been involved with an organization called Invisible Children, and a sister organization called Unified for UNIFAT, both of which deal with the conflict that arose in Northern Uganda over 25 years ago between the Government of Uganda and a rebel army, the LRA. The rebel leader, Joseph Kony, has been creating devastation for over 25 years in unspeakable manners; massacre, rape, pillaging, and worst of all, the abduction of children to be his defense as soldiers. Over the course of his terror, he has abducted between 30,000 to 60,000 children, displaced millions, and been the rotting root which has made fallow the lands from Northern Uganda to South Sudan, the DRC, Eastern Congo, and more. You may have seen the recent video title Kony 2012 produced  by Invisible Children, as it became viral with over 50 million people having viewed it in just a number of days. Here are the links to the two sites:
www.invisiblechildren.com
www.unifiedforunifat.com

So, Richard Mosse's photos speak to my heart, but that is not the only reason that I find myself so drawn to them. If you don't read about his process, you'll see groups of soldiers and civilians and landscapes all surrounded by pink and red shades, in the foliage and on their clothing. It seems like a strange choice to highlight conflict by literally highlighting the photos. But the reason that appear as so is that Mosse used a type of film called Kodachrome, which is often used by the military to see the unseen, as sort of metaphor for the conflict in general which has been going on for so long yet has only now really become public. His work is photojournalistic, but it has an elegance and form to it which pays attention to the contours of the mountains in the background and the blue skies which battle to take over the pinkish glow.

http://www.richardmosse.com/photography.php?pid=1&photo=3
http://www.richardmosse.com/photography.php?pid=1&photo=6

These two photos just tear me apart. I don't want to say anything about them. These really are photos that I can say speak for themselves. I give Richard Mosse my highest complements both for his willingness to place himself in a war zone which is uncertain and dangerous, as it resides in the 'bush', hidden away, but also for the photos he has chosen to put on his website and willingness not to hide the brutal details that most of us never want to see, but are more than reality for the peoples of this conflict, mostly innocent and constantly in fear. His other works on Iraq including some short films he's put together are quite amazing too. To your safety while work Richard Mosse.