AN EXERCISE IN WORLDMAKING 2009 - ISS

16 What’s Yours is Mine 195
oblivious to cultural common courtesy which requires automatic responses
to many questions, including ‘it was the will of God’ or ‘Insha’Allah’
(God willing) in reference to something hoped for. To readers
ignorant of these colloquialisms, the coda clause is established: Gula’s
unshakable faith in God. What does Muslim faith in God mean to a presumably
Christian majority Western audience? In line with terrorism discourse,
unshakable Muslim faith is fearful, particularly when from ‘oppressed’
women, and not only bearded male fanatics.
Finally, a short letter by the photographer himself appears. Despite its
placement after the feature piece, it arguably contributes to Reunion
clause, explicitly stating in bold lettering, ‘I could see her eyes through
the camera lens. They’re still the same.’ Gula’s unchanging ‘essence,’ is
stated not as his opinion, but fact. Similar rhetoric is used, McCurry as
hero, Gula as Victim/Survivor described with reverence (for her survival),
yet maintained within stereotypes of a ‘simple’ woman. It has a
compelling closing, ‘it’s fortunate we found her now’ due to government
plans to tear down her camp, and the impossibility of finding her without
camp contacts. He states in vividly Orientalist language, ‘Afghanistan
has been in a Dark-Age for two decades,’ solidifying Third-World backwardness,
as well as using ‘dark,’ attributing sinister locationality. He
continues in biblical fashion, ‘That she’s resurfaced now is perhaps prophetic,
a hopeful sign’ implying that she has arisen by way of miracle, not
by the heavily-funded EXPLORER who tracked her down for a story,
but by divine fate to satisfy the audience’s curiosity: ‘What ever happened
to that Afghan Girl?’ That she was subjected to a hike, drive, border-crossing
and invasive unveiling to get her ‘story’ to satisfy the public
and further enrich the pockets of NatGeo and increase its circulation is
yet another objectification, dehumanisation and victimisation. His letter
concludes ominously, ‘We’ll have to wait and see,’ implying passivity of
readers, who are not social agents, merely allowing fate and prophesy (or
politics and war) to play out. This passivity does not address the active
role of U.S/European militaries invading and occupying Afghanistan. It
hints at McCurry’s intention to continue actively tracking her with no
thought given that he or others who have profited from her image could
help realise resettlement, asthma treatment and her dream of her daughters’
education. Thus, the journey is temporarily completed and the audacious
statement that she never had a happy day in her life presumably
includes the day of reunification between Hero/Saviour and Victim.