Chutes de la Lufuku a Kakobola, Congo, South Africa
Congo, South Africa
by Heather Marsh
In this image of the Chutes de la Lufuku in South Africa remind me of the issues on clean water going on in our world today. Given how abundant the Chutes seem to be flowing, the water must have at some point been cleaner. The image when this was taken shows evidence of more sediment content in the water and can’t be safe for the native locals to drink. This is what first came to mind when I saw this photo. It reminded me of both beauty and tragedy. Although the forest appears very beautiful, green, and abundant this image does not show the populations or possibly local tribes that live among these waters. Is there economy stable? Do they manage their natural resources to its full potential? Are they abundant in resources vs. income? These are some of the questions that come to mind in this mysterious photo. When you first look at it your impression is probably “oh wow how pretty the people who may live around here probably have plenty to live on…” Do they?
Instead of glancing at an image and moving on we all should really stop and take a moment to wonder about these conditions around the world. It is natural for humans to stay in a “safe” state of mind and way of thinking on a day to day basis. But knowing that this image was in Africa where scarcity of simple food, water, and shelter is not uncommon really grabbed my attention. Walter Benjamin best describes my point on these captured images all around the world when he states, “The situations into which the product of mechanical reproduction can be brought may not touch the actual work of art, yet the quality of its presence is always depreciated.” Instead of depreciated a what seems to be simple image, it may help our mentality to become more open and aware of what goes on in this planet that we share.