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Many of the people with HIV I met in Ethiopia had not told their families about their disease and were, at first, reluctant to speak with me. Ethiopians with HIV at that time faced social rejection if they publicly declared their HIV-status. By working closely with trained counselors at social service organizations, and using a Polaroid camera and film, I found volunteers willing to be photographed. I began to make portraits at counseling centers. But, because of the stigma surrounding the disease, the participants were willing to be photographed only if they were unidentifiable in the images. We decided to make the photographs so their faces would be hidden. We looked together at the image as soon as it was made and, if the participant’s face did not show, I had permission to use the image. Otherwise, we would destroy the negative on the spot. I also conducted interviews about HIV, and excerpts of some of those interviews are reprinted here.
In 2004, two HIV+ people allowed me to photograph them and show their faces. At that point, I considered this series of photographs finished. |