For UNHCR 70th birthday Bobby Sager presents his new exhibition “Invisible Sun”. It’s a compelling collection of photographs about the transcendent power of hope & gratitude through the eyes of children.
The Power of Hope & Gratitude Through the Eyes of Children
Over the past 20 years, photographer, writer and activist Bobby Sager has traveled, lived and worked in conflict- and poverty-stricken communities throughout the world. Immersing himself and engaging with the individuals he seeks to support, he has continuously looked to his photography as a tool to raise global awareness of the consequences of traumatized communities’ hardships – in particular, giving exposure to children afflicted by the global refugee crises.
“Invisible Sun” is a compelling collection of photographs about the transcendent power of hope & gratitude through the eyes of children, photographed from weeks after September 11, 2001, until December 2018. The children live in alleyways, slums, and remote villages from Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Palestine, and the Tibetan Diaspora. They have been forced to flee, they are refugees, victims of war, sometimes orphaned, some born into refugee camps, and some into incredibly unfortunate situation. Despite unthinkable violence and destruction, the photographs of the children reveal joy, innocence, and strength.
Invisible Sun / Song by Sting
“I wrote the metaphor for the song “Invisible Sun” long before there were any peace talks or ideas about power sharing Northern Ireland. It was just a dreamer’s fantasy that something unseen and beyond our normal awareness was sustaining us in some vague hope for the future, a hope that found a resonance in the human spirit, beyond these dismal streets, beyond the promises and dark threats of our politicians, beyond the dark clouds of our history.
My friend Bobby Sager has been taking photographs of children in war-torn areas such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Rwanda, and the refugee camps of northern Pakistan and Palestine.
Their faces are a perfect visual analogue for the song. You can clearly see the anguish and torment in the eyes of those children brought up among violence and injustice, bombs and bullets, but in the next frame (and this is Bobby’s genius) the unexpected zaniness like blowing a raspberry and engaging them on a simple human level as his right hand clicks away to capture these unforgettable images. This is the invisible sun made visible.”
“There has to be an invisible sun
It gives heat to everyone
There has to be an invisible sun
That gives us hope
when the whole day’s done”– Sting
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne
Boardwalk Hall
Atlantic City
Wembley
London
Corke Park
Dublin
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham
Olympiastadion
Munich
Estadio Nacional
Lisbon
Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys
Barcelona
Stade de France
Paris
Pimlico Race Course
Baltimore
Churchill Downs
Louisville
Dolphin Stadium
Miami Gradens
Giants Stadium
East Rutherford
MGM Grand Garden
Arena Las Vegas
Madison Square Garden
New York City
River Plate Stadium
Buenos Aires
Maracana Stadium
Rio de Janeiro
Dodger Stadium
Los Angeles
Wrigley Field
Chicago
Fenway Park
Boston
Hyde Park
London
Stormont Castle
Belfast
The Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood
Sydney Opera House
Sydney
UN General Assembly Hall
New York City
The Journey
The children of this exhibition are some of the most anonymous humans on the planet. Most of them haven’t traveled more than a day’s walk from where they live.
They then traveled the world, and over 4million people have had the experience of looking into their eyes in concerts, exhibits, and speeches, including the UN General Assembly Hall in 2009.
Now after circling the globe many times, but with everything going on in today’s world, it feels like the most important part of their journey is yet to come. These children are not to be objectified or pitied, but for us to take strength from their strength and find ways to make them our teachers.
Their wisdom is born out of turmoil and journey. They are resilient, grateful, openhearted human beings in search of respect and opportunity. It is through their eyes that we hear their voices, feel their humanity and hopefully better understand their challenges.
– Bobby Sager
Bobby's voice
PART 1
These children nourish themselves with gratitude for the smallest things – a front yard, a football, a roof on their school, clean water to drink. It’s hard to be happy unless you’re thankful, and it’s difficult to be thankful without some context to appreciate what you have.
Bobby's voice
This is one of the only two high schools for girls in the region. No roof, no lights, no heat, no furniture – just desire.
Bobby's voice
My family and I stayed in this camp after an earthquake, that struck the Himalayan region of Northern Pakistan and Kashmir, destroyed the homes of over 3million people. We were at the camp to distribute tens of thousands of blankets. A good blanket is a sign of caring; a great blanket is a sign of respect. Helping must always be done respectfully, with the dignity of those you are helping in mind.
After the earthquake the devastation was shocking, but even in-the midst of mind-numbing destruction, there is virtually no begging. People are appreciative and proud – supporting one other. These front yards are a heartbreaking attempt at normalcy and dignity.
Bobby's voice
By the end of 2019 nearly 80 million people were displaced due to conflict, persecution, violence or human rights violations.
The number of people forced to flee continues to grow, many via increasingly difficult and dangerous journeys, while long-term solutions are fewer and harder to come by.
Global displacement has almost doubled since 2010 (41 m displaced).
Developing countries host 85% of the world’s displaced and 73% lived in countries neighboring their country of origin.
PART 2
Same three kids, radically different moment
I came across these kids while walking through a bombed-out neighborhood in Kabul. There was so much sadness, distance, and suspicion in their eyes. Then I made a fart sound by doing a raspberry with my mouth. The photograph on the top shows the boys’ reaction to a stranger. The next photograph, just a few second later, is their reaction to me.
Far from being an impediment to engaging with others, I use the fact that the camera is there as a way to start a conversation and make a connection with people. When I made a funny noise with my mouth and the children react with a laugh or smile, that’s not the end of the moment – it’s just the beginning. If there were only a chuckle, then the whole interaction would be reduced to nothing more than a party trick. But when my vulnerability and openness give way to a growing light in their eyes, the moment shifts to a more primal, tender, and most of all authentic place.
Bobby's voice
This girl’s village was destroyed by an earthquake a week before I took this photograph, but even in- the midst of mind-numbing devastation there is still strength and spirit in her eyes.
Bobby's voice
This child was 9 years old when I took this picture, he is now about 27. The crisis in Afghanistan has been ongoing for over 18 years.
Bobby's voice
Approximately 46 million internally displaced people (IDPS) made up the bulk of the world’s displaced population.
Many have been displaced multiple times within their own countries.
Anestimated30–34million(40%ofallforciblydisplacedpersons)werechildrenbelow18yearsofage.
PART 3
Same moment, a world away – these are two different photographs that have simply been laid next to each other. The details are different but the essential being is the same. We are so much alike, yet we continue to focus on our microscopic differences.
Are we entering their world or are they entering ours?
Bobby's voice
Imagine how jarring it must be to go from comfortable middle-class to suddenly losing it all. Everything can change in an instant. Maybe their nice clothes and shoes make it easier to see our own children’s faces reflected in their eyes.
Most of the students at Salam School, on the Turkish – Syrian border, came from Aleppo and Idlib provinces. The school no longer functions since all Syrian refugees were required to attend Turkish public schools starting in 2017.
Bobby's voice
48% of all refugee children of school age are out of school.
77% of refugee children are enrolled in primary school, 31% of refugee adolescents are enrolled in secondary school, only 3% of refugee youth have access to higher education.
UNCHR’s education report also shows the impacts on school closures and on refugee girl education.
Drawing on data from the Malala fund:
50% of refugee girls in secondary education may not return when classrooms reopen post-COVID-19. UNCHR data indicates that girls continue to have less access to education than boys, being half as likely to be enrolled at secondary level.
PART 4
Living life in the midst chaos and hardship, the slightest ray of light can ignite the human spirit’s ability to overcome. Spiderman to the rescue; in this lifeless hallway of worn concrete, imagination overrides circumstance.
Bobby's voice
I photographed this boy at his school when Sri Lanka had been in a continuous state of civil war for eighteen years. Three years later, Weligama, his village, was one of the villages hit hard by the Indian Ocean tsunami, one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. I’ve always wondered if this little boy survived. His school was less than one hundred meters from the sea. These are his classmates.
Bobby's voice
By the end of 2019 more than 2/3 of the world’s refugees were from only five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar.
Peaceinjustoneofthosecountriescouldhaveamajorimpactonglobaldisplacement.
Empathy seems like such a small thing, but it’s actually a game-changer.
This little boy is on the cover of the book “INVISIBLE SUN”. When I was invited to his house for tea, I eventually walked out of the back door, and this was his backyard.
Bobby's voice
PART 5
After the 1994 Rwandan’ genocide, bodies littered the streets; the areas often lacked electricity and basically no working vehicles.
Now, more than 26 years later, Rwanda ranks in the top 5 countries for gender equality and has the largest percentage of women in parliament of any country in the world.
Bobby's voice
This little girl lives with her mother in a jail. The inner door to the jail’s courtyard is about to close for the night.
Bobby's voice
Giving someone hope is not a soft and cuddly cliché. Hope is as strategic as it gets. A light, no matter how small, that’s the power of the “Invisible Sun”.
Moises and his soccer ball became the inspiration for a world-wide initiative called “Hope Is A Game Changer” that distributes indestructible soccer balls to organizations that use soccer to teach life skills.
This ball is Moises’ prized possession- a soccer ball made from rubbish, condoms, and whatever else was laying around
It’s amazing the impact that this child’s soccer ball has had on so many other children around the world.
Bobby's voice
Please don’t feel bad for these kids. They don’t want our pity.
Bobby's voiceMy motivation for introducing you to these children is not so you can say, “Oh, look at those poor kids, I want to give them a hug.” It’s about the human spirit’s ability to overcome and what we can learn from one another.
With the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic we are all living through a time of isolation and displacement. We all share the feeling of a future that is uncertain even scary. Now more than ever we need to help and learn from one another, but too often we do not care about the other because we are not them, and they’re not us.
Microscopic cells travel on the wind and find their way inside us to our most vulnerable center. It is at the same time too small and too big to truly comprehend. Whether it is a virus, the environment or the way we treat one another we understand more than ever how radically interconnected we are.
- Bobby Sager