From the day João’s Silva stepped on a land mine in Afghanistan, social media has kept friends and admirers informed about his progress. Coverage has been spotty, but posts from Silva’s friend and Pulitzer-prize winning photojournalist, Greg Marinovich were reassuring even though the scope of Silva’s injuries was extensive.
Despite immediate help from medics, he lost both legs below the knee and suffered internal injuries. An initial post on Marinovich’s Facebook page on Oct. 23 was simple, but it was all those who knew and cared about Silva needed to hear. From a Reuters photographer: “Any news on Joao please Greg?” “It looks OK Yanni,” Marinovich replies. “Cheers man,” posts his colleague.
Why Marinovich’s words are reassuring is because he too has been there. Silva himself photographed two of Marinovich’s near-fatal shootings. Both photographers were part of what became known in South Africa as The Bang Bang Club — a group of four driven to share with the world images of the violence in South African townships in the early 90s as the country lurched toward democracy. It’s the subject of Marinovich and Silva’s book The Bang Bang Club: Snapshots From a Hidden War (recently made into a movie of the same name). Kevin Carter a Pulitzer prize winning photographer who committed suicide in 1993 was also part of the so called club. Silva was photographing Ken Oosterbrook, yes the fourth in the club, when he was fatally shot in a township weeks before the first democratic elections in South Africa.
Marinovich wrote on his blog that Silva “has a penchant for danger and risk, but is never reckless, especially not in the many war zones he covers.” He also noted, “Silva is the most talented and courageous contemporary conflict photographer. Bar none.” The Portuguese-born Silva, 44, has been based in Johannesburg throughout his career. He has covered conflicts in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, Iraq and elsewhere. Silva’s won awards from World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International and other honors. He is a husband to Viv and father to two young children, Isabel and Gabriel.
It’s been a month of constant posts and letters of support for Silva. There was great news on Wednesday when Marinovich reported that Silva, after a series of surgeries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, has been released from ICU. Marinovich himself, has created a gallery of prints for sale on his PhotoShelter site to help support his friend. While The New York Times is helping to cover medical expenses, Greg is gathering funds from the community to support his long term needs. This past weekend an auction was held in Johannesburg that raised R220,000 ($30,000 USD).
My last email from Marinovich reads, “…reckon at least 6 months in Walter Reed if not more.” As Silva recovers, we have the opportunity to acknowledge those like him who risk their lives to bring to the attention of the world issues that may otherwise go unnoticed. The faces, the hope, fears, the waste of human life that they care so much about. Let’s bring these photos forward now. Let them stand out among the rest — now. Visit his site, share his story with friends, purchase his images in support of his recovery. You’ll find powerful recent work by Silva from Lebanon, Iraq, and Malawi in addition to Silva’s vintage images from South Africa in the 1990′s.
As this story was about to be published, another reassuring sign, Joao himself reaches out to those following him on Facebook: Greetings. Just a short thank you note to everyone for all your well wishes and messages of hope and support over this period. I am now out of ICU, and hopefully no more surgery, but the road to recovery is a long one and it will be several months before I am home with my family. Again, thank you for your messages of support and concern.
In a memo to The New York Times staff, executive editor Bill Keller wrote, “Those of you who know João will not be surprised to learn that throughout this ordeal he continued to shoot pictures.”
And with that, you too now know Joao Silva.
Photos courtesy Jerome Delay AP and Greg Marinovich