Joao Silva wounded in Afghanistan

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d7e7r7

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Surprised there's been no threads about him here on mybb...
Joao Silva, who was/is a member of the Bang Bang Club (awesome book if anyone's read it...), got injured in Afghanistan in an IED explosion.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/SA-photographer-wounded-in-Afghanistan-20101023

Johannesburg - The family of South African-based photographer Joao Silva, who was injured while covering the war in Afghanistan, was too distraught to comment on Saturday.

Silva's wife, Vivian's cellphone was answered by a family member who asked to be called back "in a couple of hours, when we will be in better position to comment".

Silva, who was a member of the so-called Bang Bang Club, is currently a photographer with The New York Times and sustained serious leg injuries after stepping on a mine while covering the war in southern Afghanistan.

Joao, 44, was evacuated to the main US military base in southern Kandahar for medical treatment.

"A group of minesweepers and bomb-sniffing dogs had already moved over the area several steps ahead of Mr Silva when the bomb went off," said a report on the newspaper's website.

Silva was born on August 9, 1966 in Lisbon, Portugal and is a war photographer based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He was associated with the Bang-Bang Club, a group of four photographers who covered South Africa from the time of former president Nelson Mandela's release to the first elections in 1994. The other three photographers were: Kevin Carter, Greg Marinovich, Ken Oosterbroek.

Silva worked in Africa, the Balkans, Central Asia, Russia, and the Middle East. His images have won numerous awards, including the World Press Photo.

On his website, Silva said he first started taking pictures in 1989, and later began his career with the Alberton Record, a local South African newspaper.

He convinced his editors to let him cover the violence in Thokoza, and later started submitting photographs to Reuters.

He resigned from the newspaper to freelance full time.

Silva also supplied pictures to The Star and Reuters.


- SAPA
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http://www.ewn.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=51393

A New York Times photographer has been severely injured in southern Afghanistan, The New York Times reported on its website on Saturday.

The Times said South African Joao Silva stepped on a mine while on patrol with U.S. soldiers near the town of Arghandab. He was taken to Kandahar Air Field, the U.S. and NATO base, for treatment for severe leg injuries, the newspaper said.

No American troops were injured in the explosion, according to the report. Minesweepers and bomb-sniffing dogs had moved over the area several steps ahead of Silva when the bomb went off, the Times reported.

Silva, 44, was embedded with a Times reporter with a unit of the 101st Airborne Division. U.S. soldiers have been clearing Taliban insurgents from Arghandab and the surrounding area in recent weeks as part of a larger effort to secure the approaches to Kandahar, the Times said.

No further details were available on the incident or Silva’s injuries.

Silva has photographed wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, southern Africa, the Balkans and the Middle East and won many awards for his work. He is also the author with Greg Marinovich of The Bang-Bang Club, which chronicles four photographers in South Africa in the 1990s.

"Joao is the state-of-the-art war photographer, fearless but careful, with an amazing eye," said Bill Keller, executive editor of The Times. "We’re all waiting anxiously and praying for his quick recovery."

Homemade bombs and mines account for more casualties among American and NATO troops than any other means, the Times report said.
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As a true photographer he kept taking images after the blast

Johannesburg - SA-based photographer Joào Silva lost portions of both his legs during a landmine blast in Afghanistan, yet continued to take pictures while paramedics treated him, The New York Times said on Saturday.

"He has lost portions of both legs. Also some pelvic damage and internal bleeding," newspaper spokesperson Robert Christie said in an email to Sapa.

"Here's all you need to know about the guy...Carlotta (veteran reporter Carlotta Gall) reports that Joao kept shooting pictures after the blast, as the medics expertly applied tourniquets, gave him morphine, and stretchered him to the helicopter," he said......
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I wish him all the best and hope he gets better soon!!
I don't know if it's an official page/group but you can wish him well here if you like:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=29464727261
http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Joao-Silva/103928989645110
 
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+1 He really has a passion for photo journalism in dangerous places. Wasn't there a movie coming out about Bang Bang club? I really enjoyed the book.
 
When I read the title the name sounded very familiar to me, just could not place it. He was also there when Ken Oosterbroek was killed. The work these guys do has a real impact on it's audience.
 
A drama based on the true-life experiences of four combat photographers capturing the final days of apartheid in South Africa.
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Yay, another movie about Apartheid.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
 
Damn, I thought this was about the Lone Rangers horse

Yes, yes Im trolling.....
 
Because he hasn't a clue what he's talking about. If he knew he would not have made that statement.
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Your' correct I retract my statement, maybe it's the fact that we are blindsided almost on a daily basis by violence and being reminded of the past by Guv'ment that makes me tired of hearing about it.
I don't know.


From what I hear the movie has got the typical Hollywood death treatment, an American trying to be a South African , why not SA actors only?
 
Well I'd wait to watch it before casting judgement. Quite sad it's a movie though, I was hoping it was going to be a documentary.
 
True, a documentary would be more suited.

Ryan Phillipe is going to be in it - can't stand that guy.
 
Hemps said:
Your' correct I retract my statement, maybe it's the fact that we are blindsided almost on a daily basis by violence and being reminded of the past by Guv'ment that makes me tired of hearing about it.
I don't know.


From what I hear the movie has got the typical Hollywood death treatment, an American trying to be a South African , why not SA actors only?
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I have not seen the movie but everything hollyweird touches they turn to schit if you ask me. Anyway if you can try and have a look at some of the Bang Bang Club members work online or in photo journals (my local library had one on Ken Oosterbroek) it really is good stuff (Pulitzer winning actually) if you like photography or photo journalism. It's stuff in the same line as by James Nachtwey etc

I agree that a two hour documentary would have been much better, something along the lines of War Photographer which incidentally also covered Ken Oosterbroek's death.
 
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