Thursday, October 31, 2013

Civil War in Mozambique

War not only affects those involved but also everyone around them. In the book Migrations by Sebastio Salgado on page 238, we see a group of women who have been affected by the traumatic experiences of war. These women have fled civil war in their country, Mozambique, to neighboring country Malawi ("Malawi").  In this photo we see a group of women with their arms held out holding a knives. Their eyes are looking up and it is obvious that this is some form of tribal ritual. These women are performing an exorcism on their husbands who had passed away during a civil war that plagued Mozambique for over 18 years. These women come from both sides of the conflict; their husbands fought for either the rebels of the government. In the pamphlet that goes with Migrations it says: They had to free themselves from the spirits of a nightmarish war that lasted 18 years (16). Only after this ceremony could these women coexist together after such a horrific conflict.

I believe the lasting memories of war are far more detrimental than the actual war itself. Where war is never a good thing, what comes after seems to reveal the real the horror of war. The process of mourning is not always immediate, comes after the tragedy, and almost always lingers for a period of time. Where each of us have a different way of coping with mourning, It doesn't always mean it is easy. For this group of women they result to religious practice to give them comfort. Whether you find comfort in religion during times of crisis or not, there still is period of time that is required to mourn. Mourning can be a lonely process. However, like these women, if we choose to befriend those who are going through this mourning process it eases the pain. I think these women give us a great example by going from enemies to friends to help each other during such difficult times.


Works Cited:

"Malawi." Infoplease. Infoplease, 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

Salgado, Sebastião, and Lélia Wanick. Salgado. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York:    Aperture, 2000. 238 Print.

Salgado, Sebastião, and Lélia Wanick. Salgado. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. (Pamphlet) New York:    Aperture, 2000. 16 Print.

3 comments:

  1. I really like how you talk about how war affects everyone. I think that is so true, we sometimes forget about the people left behind during wars and how their live are also oftentimes drastically changed or shattered. Also the fact that they mourned together is so comforting. Mourning can be lonely and depressing, but when you find strength in the company of others that are going through the same thing, that is when healing can begin.

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  2. Michael, what a great job you have done. I always learn something new whenever I read anyone's blog post. Something that especially touched me with your post this week is the fact that you are accepting of the way people mourn. A lot of times, I get stuck in my own ways, and think that other people are doing things the wrong way. For instance, at church. I can't understand why everyone isn't mormon. This also goes along with the way people mourn. So what if they mourn in a different way than I do, it doesn't matter. I have a hard time remembering this, but you helped me!

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  3. I completely agree with you. Often we think that we just need to outlast a trial in order to get through it, but often the emotional trial that follows the physical one is more difficult to deal with because a clear end is not in sight. I really like how you made that point because I think that we often forget about the challenges that follow the trial. Sometimes we think that people will be ok once the hard times are over but that might be when they need the most help.

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