I’ve always been fascinated by Afghanistan. Alongside with the stories of journalistic derring-do that came out of the Vietnam War, the wild tales emerging from Afghanistan in the post-Soviet, pre-Taleban times probably got me hooked on the idea of journalism as a career.
Chief among the legendary Afghans in those times was Ahmed Shah Massoud, a mujahedeen commander seen by many as a key unifying force in a divided country. I remember noticing when he was killed by a bomb on 10 September 2001, wondering what would happen next.
Tonight at the Frontline Club Reza, the man who shot an iconic portrait of an iconic leader comes to talk about 30 years of photographing war and peace. A National Geographic and Getty photographer, Reza should offer a fascinating insight into conflict in turbulent times and turbulent places.
The event is fully booked, but you can watch the event live from the Club on the video below from 1900GMT. I hope to get the chance to speak to the man himself and report back for this blog.
Reza comes to the Frontline Club tonight to talk about 30 years spent photographing frontlines around the world. We start at 7pm GMT/11am PST and, as usual, if you can’t make it the club in person you can watch the livestream on the Frontline Club channel or on this here blog in the panel above. This evening he’ll present and talk about a selection of work from his new book War + Peace,
]]>In 1996 Reza won the Hope Prize for his efforts on behalf of Rwandan refugees. In 2001 he founded AÏNA, Afghan Media and Culture Centre to bring a free press to a nation silenced by the Taliban. He was again honoured in 2005 when Christian Poncelet, president of the French senate, presented him with the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite, the national award for distinguished public or private service. And in 2006, Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe presented him with the Principe de Asturias Medal. That same year, he also received the Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. link