“Broken Lives” Photography Exhibit to Debut at National Press Club

The exhibit will be on display July 1-31, with an opening reception on Wednesday, July 10, 2013 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with remarks by Sebastian Rich at 6:00 p.m.

“Broken Lives” chronicles the plight of women, men and children in refugee camps in Jordan and South Sudan. “With insightful depictions of everyday activities, Rich’s exclusive access gives the world a unique peek into what life is like for the millions of refugees fleeing from the deadly wars raging in their countries,” said Shelly Pitterman, UNHCR’s regional representative in Washington.

“The Diplomatic Courier is very excited to be partnering with UNHCR for a second year in featuring Sebastian’s beautiful and heartbreaking work,” said Ana Rold, Editor in Chief of the Diplomatic Courier. “Sebastian’s efforts to humanize the growing humanitarian crises in Syria and South Sudan are as important as ever in an age of information overload.”

Rich visited camps in Mabaan county, South Sudan and Camp Za’atri in Jordan, just twelve miles from the Syrian border and home to some 170,000 Syrian refugees. An elderly gentleman, one of many individuals Rich met in Jordan, described life as a refugee: “My home (Syria) is as close to hell as a man can get while his heart is still beating.”

Rich aims to put a human face on war and conflict through his powerful photos. He says, “A refugee is no different from you and me, and we tend to forget that refugees are just that—humans sharing the same world as us… The one enduring quality that has shone through in all my images in both camps is the dignity and pride of its inhabitants that is often very humbling.”