"A Picture"

At that time, early in 2005, I was studying at KML, Kolej Matrikulasi Labuan. Roommate of mine, (my non-Muslim best friend) Roderick, told me about something that really interest me in. Oh ya, he is from Sabah. He is a really good Christen that I have ever made. He was describing me a picture. I'm not really remember where he saw that picture. But he told me about the photographer as well who take that picture. He said, "A photographer took a picture of a boy somewhere in Africa. Actually a small kid. But the boy is not alone in the picture. There was a bird waiting for the kid. You know, the bird that eat carcass? The kid was hungry. laying on the ground. And the bird was waiting for the boy to die. But, no one knows what happened to that boy. Is he alive? Dead? who knows. But the photo is awarded. It give "a" meaning. You know the photographer who take the picture? He committed suicide after that". From what Roderick describe to me, I thing I can imagine the picture. I know the situation at that country, somewhere at Africa. They have wars, no laws, killing each other and I'm not sure whether they still believe in god or not. And I can imagine if i were them, how hard for me to live. But I'm still curious, what the picture is look like. Roderick told me, maybe the photographer kill himself because of the picture. I saw a lot of pictures of people who in hunger somewhere in Africa, but there was'nt any bird who waiting for the carcass. Where is the picture? (Untuk apakah Allah menciptakan manusia sedangkan para Malaikat pernah mempersoalkannya dimana mereka bakal membawa peperangan, kemusnahan, kehancuran sesama sendiri?)

Now, in 2008, I'm watching a video clip. the title is "Cool, Amazing, Shocking, and Funny". The video clip is a collection of pictures actually. But when I saw this picture, I pause it and this picture give some meaning that familiar to me. I remembered what Roderick told me about a picture. I believe, this is the picture that he told me about. Yes and I doubted it.

Kevin Carter's Pulitzer Prize winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan Famine. The picture depicts a famine stricken child being stalked by a vulture. The child is crawling towards a United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer who left the scene as soon as the photo was taken. He later confided to friends that he wished he had intervened. Journalist at the time were warned never to touch famine victims for fear of disease. Three months later, and only weeks after being bestowed with the Pulitzer Prize, Kevin Carter committed suicide.

After I searched the information, what I believed are:

• The photographer name is Kevin Carter 1960 - 1994.
• The kid is not a boy, but a girl.
• The location of the photo is in Sudan.

To Roderick (If you read my blog)
"Hey roderick, I just want to tell u that, I think I found the picture. The picture that you told me before. Actually, it is different from what I'd imagine.. but I found the pic. But it really meaningful. I thing you are right. the photographer kill himself because of the pic. I hope can see you again and continue our discussion."