blog post #9

When searching for a photograph to write about our primary project number one I wanted to find one that I could unite with and a topic that I knew somewhat about. After going through dozens of pictures I finally staggered across this one. This picture comes from the Compose Advocate Design website. Through the eyes of children is an advocacy organization and an adoption agency supporting and promoting the adjustment for the nation of Africa, specifically those living in Rwanda. From the gallery I searched through I learned a lot about the orphanage and the photographers.



The gallery I picked the picture through features photographs taken by 19 children of the Imbabazi Orphanage, beginning when the children were linking the ages of 8 and 17. The photos were taken with 35mm disposable cameras, and, as of 2005, digital cameras. The photographs have been printed to archival, exhibition standards.
Rosamond Halsey Carr founded the Imbabazi Orphanage in 1994. The Imbabazi Orphanage is home to over 120 children. Many of these children's families were killed during the 1994 Genocide, which they regularly refer to as "the war." Others died of disease when they fled to the Congo as refugees. The orphanage was originally founded in 1994 on Rosamond Carr's farm, Mugongo, in the hills of Mutura, next to the Congo border. Due to continual outbreaks of violent behavior, the orphanage moved to the petite lake town of Gisenyi. In late 2005, the orphanage moved back to Mugongo, into a new, lasting facility. Translated, Imbabazi means "A Mother's Love," and is one of the smallest numbers of homes where children are being raised without ethnic differences. Ever since it’s founding, the Orphanage was required to move from Mugongo in 1997 due to brutal insurgencies from the Congo. In the nearby lakeside settlement of Gisenyi, the Imbabazi Orphanage resided for 8 years, changing locations 4 times. In late 2005, Roz was able to travel the children back to Mugongo this time to a new, permanent location.

As stated from my last blog the “vectors of attention” is the boy’s face in the picture. A “vector of attention” is defined in the book as in all photographs the photographer directs your attentions by the way the people-or subjects- in the photograph are arranged. You can depict from the photograph many different things from his face. To some people he may look sad, depressed, anxiety, overwhelmed, deep in thought, or even curious. People’s perceptions and thoughts differ from one another, that is why there can be no precise answer to what the photographer (Twagira) was trying to tell us when taking the picture. In the picture the summary under the picture said the boy in the pictures name was Musa. You can tell through the window that it is cloudy and maybe daytime, so we could assume that Musa is already done with school for the day or maybe doesn’t go to school all day.

In general, there is an assortment of things that you can infer from just looking at this picture, but yet there are a lot of pieces missing that would clear up or make a precise story. But part of the enjoyment is that you can make it whatever you fancy when you aren't given all the info.