Hilton Chen
War and Peace
A somewhat jarring image of a Suri mother and baby. Guns are fairly ubiquitous among the pastoralist tribes in Ethiopia, as they need to protect their cattle from predators and other tribes who may try to steal them. The all time favorite is the AK-47 - cheap, easy to operate and maintain, and dependable in combat. It is mostly the men who carry the weapons around but for this image we asked this mother to carry a gun to highlight the stark contrast of the scene: the cold hard steel of the gun vs the soft warm heart of the mother; the power to nurture vs the power to harm; the power to give life vs the power to take it away; war and peace; love vs violence; new life vs death. Notice the ear plates and the scarification on the right arm - all characteristic of the Suri tribe.
War and Peace
A somewhat jarring image of a Suri mother and baby. Guns are fairly ubiquitous among the pastoralist tribes in Ethiopia, as they need to protect their cattle from predators and other tribes who may try to steal them. The all time favorite is the AK-47 - cheap, easy to operate and maintain, and dependable in combat. It is mostly the men who carry the weapons around but for this image we asked this mother to carry a gun to highlight the stark contrast of the scene: the cold hard steel of the gun vs the soft warm heart of the mother; the power to nurture vs the power to harm; the power to give life vs the power to take it away; war and peace; love vs violence; new life vs death. Notice the ear plates and the scarification on the right arm - all characteristic of the Suri tribe.