Tony Bush and Educating Africa

Two photos in today's paper made me want to write about them here.

The first is one of Bush and Blair coming out of the Oval Office yesterday during Blair's 'victory lap' of the world as he steps down from office. I couldn't find the exact picture from the paper but the one below is very similar. The only difference in the published one is that the columns are on the right of frame, partially obscuring Bush.

photo: Getty Images

The solid vertical lines of the columns, looking sturdy and strong, imply a solid structure and institutional strength of purpose. You have the two men, their poses identical, the line of their profiles echoing each other. Their suits and shirts are tonally the same, only their ties distinguish them as separate in any way. You could even believe that they're some form of conjoined siamese twin, wearing one large outfit. Their bowed heads (probably just walking down steps and not wanting to trip), however, can be read as a sign of some internal conversation, or knowing that they are probably the only two people who can agree on each other's point of view.


"Learning her way out of poverty: A pupil takes part in a English class at Chainda primary school in Zambia"
Credit: David Bebber/The Times

This picture is part of an exhibition to coincide with an upcoming G8 meeting to encourage continuing funding of Africa, especially girls' education. A noble cause to be sure and a beautiful image to accompany it, but this photo made me want to write angry letters to whoever decided to use it in their campaign.

The girl, rendered anonymous by the beatific glow around her head that obscures her features, allows us to impose on her some general notion of our own, either about her race, or colour, or gender, or some combination of all of them. Then there are the English words written on the board that she's pointing at, studiously learning. It implies a European education, or at least one based on the study of English. It makes me wonder if that's the education we consider to be of value to her, the kind we want to get support for. Next, it's the word 'White', the word most prominently composed in frame and not obscured by reflections. To me it says that the aspirational message we want to promote is one that advances notions of 'Whiteness' as something that is better than whatever state she is in now. I wouldn't mind so much if the picture weren't being used to push a particular agenda, surely they couldn't have missed the borderline racist message this photo implies in that context?

This is just my interpretation of the pictures... you can blame this on us taking advantage of our work location having major London art galleries within a couple minutes' walk, so we've been exploring them at lunchtime with the benefit of the audioguides (the things you look a complete idiot listening to). It's put me in an image-critical mindset this week.

London | Photograph | Critical Analysis | Composition | Tony Blair | George+Bush | Africa | Zambia | World Can't Wait | Oxfam