Images have power and a life of their own

Image above: Part of the photo of the Napalm Girl taken by Nick Ut Cong Huynh in 1972 outside the village of Trang Bang in Vietnam.

The Napalm Girl

Written by Cendall Slattery - teacher on the 2016 Premier's ANZAC Spirit School Prize tour to Vietnam.

You may have seen in the news in 2015 that the Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg (along with many other leaders) accused Facebook of 'editing history' after it chose to censor the Pulitzer Prize winning photo of Kim Phuc, more commonly known as 'Napalm Girl'. The image shows Kim and four other local children fleeing after a napalm bomb was dropped on her village in the south of Vietnam. As Kim is naked in the photograph, Facebook removed it in line with their community standards. After much debate and criticism, Facebook has now decided to allow the image to be shared, stating that 'Because of its status as an iconic image of historical importance, the value of permitting sharing outweighs the value of protecting the community by removal, so we have decided to reinstate the image on Facebook where we are aware it has been removed."

The photo was taken in 1972 and is considered a defining image of the realities and devastation of communities during the Vietnam War. Kim was just 9 years old at the time. Debate still occurs, however, regarding the power of this photo for strengthening the anti-war sentiments on the home front in USA and Australia. A simple Google search will leave you with various articles debating each side. 

The ABC's report of the Facebook censorship event (as well as a copy of the image itself) can be found here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-10/facebook-reverses-move-to-censor-napalm-girl-photo/7832894

The photo is also on display at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, which is on our itinerary to visit on Day 1. It certainly inspires a lot of discussion, particularly around the circumstances in which the bomb came to be dropped on her village of Trang Bang, and the impact of the war on locals. 

I have since taken to reading about Kim's life since the attack - it is a very fascinating story. She was inspired to study medicine after the treatment she received for her burns, but her plans were halted by the government who wanted to use her as a symbol of the war. In her 20s, she sought asylum in Canada, and has since become a citizen, and now tours the world speaking about her experience. 

She works with victims who have sustained injuries through means of attack (eg. acid attacks) to help them find forgiveness and confidence. She has also established a foundation to help child victims of war. In 2008, she read her essay "Long Road to Forgiveness" on NPR's "All Things Considered" 

A very inspiring and insightful story.