‘Dawn of Recovery’: MSF portrays victims of war in photo exhibition

AMMAN —  Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders (MSF) is launching a photo exhibition on Tuesday that aims to share the organisation’s work and their concern towards the long-term consequences of the regional conflicts, said the head of the MSF Mission in Jordan, Marc Schakal. 

Held at the Ras Al Ein gallery in Amman, the exhibition will showcase photos of MSF patients coming from different Arab countries along with a brief note about their personal stories.

Titled “Dawn of Recovery”, the exhibition highlights the beginning of a new chapter for victims of MSF’s reconstructive surgery programme (RSP) that was set up in 2006 in response to the high numbers of severe casualties from the Iraq war, according to MSF. 

The exhibition is also held to mark the 10th anniversary of the organisation’s work in Jordan, according to Schakal. 

“The idea is not to celebrate 10 years of activities, but rather to use this moment to share a bit of what we are facing in the field. We want to show what our teams are facing at the hospital and what all the patients and the civilians are facing in their home country,” he told The Jordan Times at Ras Al Ein on Monday. 

The MSF project opened its doors to the injured from Syria, Yemen and Palestine and has treated over 4,500 patients so far. Specialised in orthopaedic, maxillofacial and plastic surgery for victims of conflict, the RSP has performed over 11,000 surgeries since its inception 11 years ago, according to MSF.

“We also want to give the space to our patients and, through the pictures to show the reality to the public so they can understand where the patients are coming from and what MSF is able to provide as treatment. This is why we chose photography,” Schakal added. 

The MSF official said that each patient has a story, an injury and a country of origin. He stressed the need to show them not only as victims but also as human beings whose life changed, in some cases dramatically, because of the consequences of the war and their injury. 

The exhibition, which runs through November 9, is organised under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan. The photos were taken by Alessio Mamo and words attached to the photos were written by Marta Bellingreri.