Steve McCurry - Afghan Girl

Steve McCurry - Afghan Girl

       The famed photograph is regarded as the most recognized cover of National Geographic. In December, 1984, photographer Steve McCurry journeyed to Pakistan, and took the legendary picture of a young little girl in a refugee camp. Why on earth did the Afghan girl show up in a Pakistan refugee camp? If we look a little bit further into the history, we might be able to realize the burning emotions in the girl's transparent eyes.

       People in Afghanistan probably would never forget the bleeding days during the 1980's. Soviet-led government of Afghanistan was having a civil war against the rebels that were sponsored by the first world (第一世界) countries such as the USA, etc. It wasn't long before the Soviet Union eventually went involved and waged a more devastating war. Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless, refugees swarmed to neighboring countries like Pakistan and Iran.

       That was exactly the time when McCurry captured  the everlasting moment of the girl. Her blazing eyes seemed to penetrate into one's soul, questioning all the misfortune that came about. The portrait went viral and kept the public asking, "who is this girl?" Nobody, including the photographer himself, had the answer until 2002. After 17 years of waiting, the girl, already a mature woman now, was finally found. McCurry devoted himself once again on the journey to the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He asked the villagers that he believed could  still remember the little girl then. A passionate villager helped and that was it. He found the girl.

      The girl was already married but after the permission of her husband, she again jumped on the photograph.

       Her name is Sharbat Gula. Just as you can see, the haunting eyes the little girl once owned lied intact on the woman's appearance now. Life wasn't easy for Gula, though. She was serving as a baker with her husband, earning no more than 1 US dollar per day, at the same time raising three daughters. The war in her childhood took away her parents, but even till now, days in Afghanistan are never without fire and blood.

      The picture does serve as a legacy, at least for photographer Jodi Bieber. It inspired her to create another legendary photograph, Bibi Aisha, also an Afghan girl. "For me, it was putting a moment of history in perspective. It was just one thing that added to the image," she quoted.

Jodi Bieber - Bibi Aisha

There are a series of videos of how Sharbat Gula was found. For convenience, check this very last video at 5'53''.

For more information, go to:

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/photography/photos/milestones-photography/afghan-girl-portrait/

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2002/04/afghan-girl/index-text

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/02/world/world_mccurry041002.htm

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/03/12/afghan-girl.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Girl

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibi_Aisha

441 words in total