The Face of War in a Child

The Face of War in a Child: Mark Brecke's photography and the crisis in Darfur

With a web address of warandweddings.com, one is not quite sure what to expect. And at first glance of the home page, it becomes readily apparent that Mark Brecke is no wedding photographer. Amidst the soothing green background and the innocent script font is a black and white photo that tells the story of millions, a story of despair – complete and utter loss. Gazes are lowered, heads rest in hands as mothers wonder what to do, where to go, what is happening. Your eyes move to the children in the picture. You want to help, hug, tell them all it will be ok.

“Children are the hardest to see – the face of war in a child reads so different…” Mark softly says of the complex crisis in Darfur. From October to December 2004 Brecke lived in refugee camps on the eastern border of Chad, and for five of those weeks traveled the broken country of Sudan with members of the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA), one of two rebel groups fighting the government-backed militia known as the Janjaweed. Armed only with a messenger bag containing a change of clothes, camera, first aid kit, bubbles, and a few pieces of paper quite resembling US twenty dollar bills, Mark lived, breathed and documented yet another war.

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The Face of War in a Child

Mark Brecke's Website