Sharjah 24: “I think of quitting almost every day, but someone has to do this job,” said Afshin Ismaeli, a war photographer, as he led a thought-provoking talk, 'Capturing Conflict: Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Photojournalism,' on the last day of the Xposure International Photography Festival on Tuesday. The talk captured the essence of being a war photojournalist and the quest for capturing stories of hope and resilience amidst grimness that often tests the physical, psychological and emotional faculties of a war photographer.

“It is frustrating to see this endless cycle of war and horror. The only difference each time is the place and the people who get caught in the vicious circle of horror. Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Ukraine and now Gaza. Scores of innocent men, women and children are bearing the brunt of conflict. And the entire international community is to be blamed,” said Ismaeli.

In a 40-minute talk, Ismaeli laid bare the trials and tribulations faced every day at his work front, essentially the conflict zones. 

“My primary mission, and that of every war photojournalist, is to document truth and humanise conflict. But it has become hard to see repeated cycles of military action. Ukraine, Iraq, Gaza - no one questions the wars. Despite the best efforts to capture and show the horrific aftermath, there is hardly an impact. In Gaza, for instance, more than 30,000 innocent civilians have died and we have lost 120 of our colleagues, but no one seems to care,” he said. 

“Many journalists are suffering from compassion fatigue”, he added. 

Ismaeli’s assignments and his quest for purpose have led him to the most disturbed societies and landscapes. His photo exhibition at Xposure, ‘Shadows & Resilience: Life Under the Taliban in Afghanistan’, showcased the grisly realities of the war-ravaged country. “People just outside Kabul are struggling to survive. I know of mothers who have sold their kids for mere $250 to feed their families. In the exhibition, there is a photograph of three girls. Their mother had previously sold her son and was recently contemplating putting one of the daughters on sale, to feed the family,” he said, pointing at one of his pictures.

“It is a terrible, terrible time to be a woman in Afghanistan. Every single woman wants to leave Afghanistan,” he added.

Ismaeli also talked about a village in Afghanistan where people are trading their organs for a few thousand dollars to survive. But it is the hope to see light at the end of the tunnel that has kept him going so far. Pointing at the photograph of an underground school for girls in Afghanistan, he said, “These are the moments that inspire me to keep going. I hope people are looking at these photographs in a positive manner. I hope these images bring change.”