ARMED WITH WORDS: INTERPRETING THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN (2001-2021)
7-26 AUGUST 2024
Marking the third anniversary of the Taliban take-over of Afghanistan in August 2021, this award-winning exhibition, on display in the Association Room in August, presents the stories of Afghan interpreters employed by the British Army who had to flee to the UK. Their stories feature alongside those of Afghanistan veterans from the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany and Sweden, who are leading political advocates for interpreters’ protection and rights.
The collaborative project combines portraits by photographer Andy Barnham (himself an Afghanistan veteran, military linguist and son of a refugee) with visual quotes selected from research interviews conducted by Professor Sara de Jong, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York.
The collective narrative of interpreters and veteran advocates shows two different, yet complementary, views on the impact of war and the unequal relationships forged in sites of conflict, from an everyday, personal perspective. Fusilier, and Afghanistan, veteran Col (Ret’d.) Simon Diggins, the Museum Chairman, is featured as a veteran advocate and founding member of the Sulha Alliance, a charity supporting Afghan interpreters and other Locally Engaged Civilians (LECs), who worked for the British Army.
Andy Barnham uses strategies of blurring, pixelating and layering to help anonymise the interpreters whose families in Afghanistan are still under threat. This process can also be seen as inflicting trauma on the portraits, in acknowledgement of their experiences when serving and when escaping Afghanistan.
The leading veteran advocates are portrayed as looking at themselves in the mirror, by combining portraits with their inverted double images; they were only able to face themselves when stepping out of anonymity and supporting their former Afghan colleagues. The veterans featured in this exhibition amplified the voices of Afghan interpreters through media engagement, political lobbying and legal challenges. They also provided direct support, including during the evacuation efforts in August 2021.
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REMEMBERING KOREA WITH THE ROYAL FUSILIERS
1-31 JULY 2024
During the month of July 2024 an exhibition on the Royal Fusiliers in Korea will be on display at Holy Sepulchre London, home to the Royal Fusiliers Chapel.
Location:
Holy Sepulchre London
Holborn Viaduct
London
EC1A 2DQ
Why not pick up an exhibition booklet, or attend the commemorative service on 25 July 2024?
Visit the Holy Sepulchre London website for opening hours and service details.