honorable mention
VALERIE LEONARD france
title
CAMBODIA'S CURE
But the remains of a rich and prosperous civilization make us forget that this country has been deeply scarred by the genocide of the Khmer Rouge, an thirty years of war.
Cambodia is now one of the poorest countries in the world: 35% of the population lives below the poverty line, 92% are located in rural areas.
The medical ignorance is tragic in Cambodia.
Men, women, children and the elderly come with complete confidence to see " the nurse " of the village.
They are all affected by various pathologies and without preliminary examination, the nurse gives them an infusion of.. normal saline !
The intervention lasts one hour during which they take advantage of the action movie on the single TV screen of the village.
Hok lost both legs and a hand jumping on a landmine.
Cambodia has one of the world highest rates of mutilated (1 in 275).
Despite large-scale awareness campaigns, land mines still make 25 to 35 victims per month.
This is nonetheless, a big improvement since the casualties were close to 300 ten years ago.
Signatory of the 1999 Ottawa Treaty banning landmines, Cambodia pledged to clean up its territory by 2009 But in seventeen years, only 500 km2 were cleared.
There would still be 715 km2 to be treated. Today, there are more than 20,000 amputees due to a mine accident in Cambodia. Whether they were buried by the Khmer Rouge or the government forces, they hit without discrimination.
When she presses the shutter, she remembers the doctrine of her father: "Always tell the Truth, but in terms of Beauty".
Valerie Leonard strives for her work to embody to this search for truth and beauty of human beings, whatever their origin or wealth.
Far from seeking aesthetic or false compassion, she wants to show the dignity of these women and men, in particularly hostile environments.
Throughout her trips around the world she focused her work particularly on a theme that she named “Labours of Hercules”.
A series of photographs where she attempts to show with utmost respect and admiration the nobility and courage of those living in difficult conditions.
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entry description
Cambodia is often associated with the archaeological splendor of the Angkor temples.But the remains of a rich and prosperous civilization make us forget that this country has been deeply scarred by the genocide of the Khmer Rouge, an thirty years of war.
Cambodia is now one of the poorest countries in the world: 35% of the population lives below the poverty line, 92% are located in rural areas.
The medical ignorance is tragic in Cambodia.
Men, women, children and the elderly come with complete confidence to see " the nurse " of the village.
They are all affected by various pathologies and without preliminary examination, the nurse gives them an infusion of.. normal saline !
The intervention lasts one hour during which they take advantage of the action movie on the single TV screen of the village.
Hok lost both legs and a hand jumping on a landmine.
Cambodia has one of the world highest rates of mutilated (1 in 275).
Despite large-scale awareness campaigns, land mines still make 25 to 35 victims per month.
This is nonetheless, a big improvement since the casualties were close to 300 ten years ago.
Signatory of the 1999 Ottawa Treaty banning landmines, Cambodia pledged to clean up its territory by 2009 But in seventeen years, only 500 km2 were cleared.
There would still be 715 km2 to be treated. Today, there are more than 20,000 amputees due to a mine accident in Cambodia. Whether they were buried by the Khmer Rouge or the government forces, they hit without discrimination.
about the photographer
Born in Paris, french-american, Valerie Leonard has always been surrounded by a world of images. Her mother was a painter, and her father, photographer, Herman Leonard.When she presses the shutter, she remembers the doctrine of her father: "Always tell the Truth, but in terms of Beauty".
Valerie Leonard strives for her work to embody to this search for truth and beauty of human beings, whatever their origin or wealth.
Far from seeking aesthetic or false compassion, she wants to show the dignity of these women and men, in particularly hostile environments.
Throughout her trips around the world she focused her work particularly on a theme that she named “Labours of Hercules”.
A series of photographs where she attempts to show with utmost respect and admiration the nobility and courage of those living in difficult conditions.
back to gallery