Some eras have symbolic pictures. These pictures can actually tell you all the experiences with a single frame like a movie. Today I would like to talk about a picture that everyone knows but is dusted on the top. Do you remember the Afghan Girl on the cover of the National Geographic June issue? Yes, today I want to talk a little bit about the Afghan girl and the iconic photography.
Who is this Afghan girl?
Sharbat Gula is an Afghan refugee born in 1972. In the conflict between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan, she unfortunately lost her family and became an orphan. She settled in a refugee camp with her relatives. Steven McCurry from National Geographic magazine visited the camp, which attracted the attention of the press of the period. He visited the small container in the refugee camp. That container was used as a school. He took a few snapshots from the inside. He saw that green-eyed girl hiding from himself. Steven persuaded him and took that famous picture. Steven didn’t know that this photo was going to get attention that much.
Was the Afghan Girl found later?
Sharbat was found after the Taliban regime was over. Steven tried to find her for years. In 2002, Steven and his team visited several refugee camps to find the green-eyed girl. Nasir Bagh camp was first visited. However, the Afghan girl was not there. They met someone who knew her and learned where she was. And they found her.
The reaction of Sharbat Gula
Steven and his team, Sharbat, were asked if she remembered the photograph. Sharbat remembered the photograph. However, she did not know that she was attracting so much attention. It was the first and only picture that was taken of her. Steven said he wanted to take a picture again. Sharbat was a very timid woman. She lived by the Afghanistan rules. She got permission from her husband and brother. Then she let Steven do it.
Afghan Girl years later
The war was over and years had passed since. The National Geographic team was wondering about this girl. That’s why Steven and his team prepared their cameras and set out to take a picture of the Afghan Girl for the first time in years. As a result of their permission, Sharbat opened her veil. When Steven saw her face, he felt quite uncomfortable. He saw a little girl in her 30s who had experienced difficulties. This picture was published in the April 2002 issue of National Geographic. It attracted a lot of attention.
Why did the Afghan Girl get so much attention?
Photos are the most important communication tools that affect our visual intelligence. The visual impact of photographs is an excellent propaganda tool. Some symbols, in particular, create a huge impact. Wars come first among these. War pictures are a means of confrontation for people far from this element. It is one of the most important media elements that can shock people who turn their backs on this segment. This was the most important reason the Afghan girl stood out. It was not her green, big expressive eyes. This photograph portrayed a nation’s struggle for independence. That piercing look in her eyes told of their warrior spirits. The eyes of the Afghan girl who carries all the traces of the war in her eyes that shook the whole world…
What is the Afghan Girl doing right now?
Sharbat thought the photography was doing more harm than good. The reason she thought this was because she was living without permission in Pakistan. She was deported when he was caught with forged documents. She returned to Afghanistan. She was met with great enthusiasm in her country. When she arrived in her country, she gave up the idea to go back to pakistan. Because she was helping and taking care of the widows and orphans in her own country with the money she earned from this photograph. She shared that her biggest dream is to establish a charity.