Hugh sends these photos
and words after his report on last night's programme:
"Starting with the lorry drivers who drive containers across the Khyber Pass from Peshawar - containers for the self-styled 'Operation Enduring Freedom' at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, and yet they get no military escort to protect them from the Taleban, and from corrupt police:
The drivers didn't want to be photographed at first, but then they asked to be. That's my empty glass mug of sweet green tea on the plastic rug. And this is the driver who says he had his cab window smashed by the police when he refused to pay a bribe. It's the cab under the tarpaulin. He didn't want to be identified:
That's Raz Mohammed, firewood seller, western Kabul.
And here are some of his customers:
These are two men who told me they are so desperate for work that they have got visas to go to Iran and look for jobs there. The Iranian embassy is in the background:
That's a kebab restaurant in Kabul. I had a print made of this photograph, and went back to give it to them. I do that when I can. The reward is the biggest smiles you can imagine - from Kabul to Kashmir, Bombay to Baghdad.
When I did that in Basra once, the British army major who was escorting me said, "Oh good PR, Hugh!" Perhaps, but it's not the motive.
These boys got a copy of their picture too:
The courtyard of a childeren's charity in Kabul. The framed poster on the right shows potentially unexploded munitions to be aware of.
A poster at the Ministry of Women's Affairs. It condemns 'domestic violence' against women. The writing on each finger of the fist says 'violence' in the Afghan languages, and in Arabic."
Listen to PM
© MMX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~54~RS~)
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Hugh, I watched Jane Corby's report on Panorama last night, which was fascinating at many levels, but which also reminded me of the great risk you are running out there. Please, both of you, (and it goes for all the brave correspondents who are working to bring back news to us of the events in Afghanistan), be very very careful because we want you back safe and sound. I gather there is also a very high risk of abduction for foreigners at the moment in Kabul - so another reason to be very careful.
And now to the photos, and your report. These people are so brave, and make me, for one, feel very very humble. They have to endure such hardship and uncertainty, yet manage somehow to keep going and even to smile.
And I am very glad you bother to do this kindness to these wonderful people, Hugh. The photos, I am sure, mean a great deal to them, primarily because they know, from your simple act, that you care about them. The army officer should be ashamed of himself - there is much more to life than PR, and a little common humanity is not only more valuable but also the measure of human decency.
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I second that, Big Sister - every word.
Hugh's humanity defines his journalism. I hope he is in line for a lot of gongs to recognise the contribution he is making to our understanding of the lives behind the headlines.
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I luckily managed to hear Hugh's report last night and he just stands out head and shoulders above others. He manages to give an insight into 'normal' peoples' lives in a way that most other reporters never do, and his natural affinity for people is obvious. Another insightful, moving and rivetting report which I had to stay in the car to listen to the end of.
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Great pictures, the type we never normally see. Hugh's reports are fantastic and a superb example of the quality reporting which the BBC is capable of. The only BBC reports on Iraq I have ever watched on TV were his - balanced, thoughtful and informative.
The BBC needs to clone him!
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(1), (2), (3) and (4): agree entirely! What wonderful photos and such a brilliant insight into that world.
Thank you Hugh!
However, you aren't fooling me... I think you are really having a wonderful time with these special people.
Definitely think you deserve a gong or two... isn't there another thread Eddie is asking for people to nominate?
I nominate Hugh.
Seconds?
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Lady Sue: I think you'll find the nomination has already been made here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2008/12/who_deserves_the_ipm_new_years.shtml
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(6) Big Sis: you are a step ahead of me, as ever!
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Big Sister: The pleasure people show when I take photos back to them is its own reward.
The best moment was in Basra in late 2004, when I took a pile of photographs back to a cafe where I'd taken the pics in the summer of 2003.
I asked the cafe manager to flip through them and keep shots of anyone he recognised to pass on to them.
He looked through them.
"I know him, and him, and him...I don't know him...."
And then he came to a photo of an impish little boy, grinning at the camera:
"That's my son!"
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Hugh, that's a lovely story. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Now, not that I want to see you blush, Hugh, but have you spotted this yet?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2008/12/who_deserves_the_ipm_new_years.shtml
Just scroll down a little and you'll see that you're not only MY hero! :o)
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BS 9: That's very kind of you, and I am blushing.
But I am 'an employee of Kelloggs', so I'm not legible!
(-:
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Ah, Hugh, but we aren't - so our nominations should be taken for what they are - untainted by nepotism!
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Phooey! I got a 404 error message when I clicked on your (9) link, Sis.
Hugh, thanks. It's always enlightening and often inspiring to see your pictures and get your insight.
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It worked for me just now, Frances - perhaps it was a temporary blip?
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