Πέμπτη 17 Σεπτεμβρίου 2009

Διεθνή Απόβλητα







Οι φωτογραφίες αυτές είναι της Νοτιοαφρικανίδας Jodi Bieber και μπορείς να τις δεις στην Biennale της Θεσσαλονίκης στην αίθουσα των παλαιών ψυγείων. Το κείμενο της καλλιτέχνιδας που ακολουθεί μας μιλά για το πως αντιμετωπίζονται οι ναρκομανείς σε μια Ευρωπαϊκή χώρα σαν την Ισπανία. Εμείς μπορούμε να κάνουμε τις συγκρίσεις μας και να υποπτευθούμε γιατί πουθενά στον κόσμο δεν υπάρχει στήριξη για αυτούς τους ανθρώπους.

Las Canas
“When you get to know us we are not as bad
as they make us out to be. We are just people
who lack affection; who, instead of offering
love, are on the defensive and quickly react by
showing our claws in response to the attitude
of our society.

Accept us.
Support us.

Signed: Cesar, Valencia. Spain

Foreword

In Spain, one of the main methods of
transmission of HIV/Aids is through the use of
sharing needles when injecting drugs. A lack
of social support, condemnation from society,
an industry with no control or regulations has
isolated drug users from the rest of society, as
in so many other countries around the world. It
makes these drug users vulnerable to
transmission of diseases like HIV/Aids. Clean
needles are not always available and without
legislation and control of this industry the
drugs are not sold in their pure form. In one
month I witnessed 20 overdoses. Many of
the drug users I met had severe ulcers created
by badly cut drugs.




In Spain the consumption of drugs is not
prohibited unless it is consumed in a public
domain however the trafficking of drugs is a
serious offense.

Even though this is a project related to HIV/Aids
this work is more about the people you might
see every day parking your car, sleeping in the
street and begging you for money and who are
also addicted to drugs. They all have a story to
tell which often contains sadness and loss. They
come from different parts of the world, different
backgrounds - economically, culturally and
intellectually. They have one thing in common -
drugs. They could be your sister or brother,
daughter or son.

The photographs might seem at times
confontrational to the viewer but Las Canas is a
harsh world and there is nothing sentimental
about this place. As a South African it shocked
me to see addicts living in this condition in a First
World Society.