Trigger warning: This post contains a graphic image of a little boy’s body. Mamamia has decided to share a censored version of the image because it is too easy to forget that this is the reality many children face as they’re caught up in the refugee crisis.
Earlier this month, the body of three-year-old Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach after the boat in which has family had tried to seek refuge, capsized.
Photos of Aylan’s tiny body lying face-down in the sand sent shockwaves throughout the world.
The tragic images drew attention to the plight of men, women and children fleeing the horrors of the Syrian conflict, and prompted candlelit vigils and policy discussions across both Europe and Australia. (Read more about Australia’s response to the image here.)
But one unusual tribute to the little boy has raised a few eyebrows this week — because it’s unclear whether it actually honoured the little boy, or disrespected him.
The tribute involved 30 activists and journalists, dressed in Aylan’s final outfit of a red t-shirt, blue shorts and sneakers, lying face-down on the sand.
They were imitating the toddler’s infamous ‘death pose’ — the heartbreakingly vulnerable position in which his lifeless, limp body was found on that Turkish beach.
Related: Read more about that Aylan Kurdi photo here.
While you might assume the activists’ stunt had a worthy agenda — a call to action on a particular policy, or a fundraiser for refugee causes, for example — it appears to have been merely a “gesture” or an “artistic protest”.
Top Comments
There is no question of the scale of the current refugee crises. What is sad, is that it took one tragic image (that of a little boy on a beach) to move people’s consciousness. And what disturbs my understanding of our common humanity, is who or what kind of society would allow a political and cultural indifference to exist unabated for so long, leaving blameless individuals to suffer the unimaginable. Who are we to judge anyone for the hope of a better life. Indeed I would not be writing this today, if not for my father’s courage, who like so many from the post-WWII era, were torn from their homelands, cultures & families – literally and metaphorically set adrift; their centre of gravity and sense of belonging severed. Hence the strength of character portrayed by my patriarchs, their valour in the face of oppression, fearlessness to travel half way around the globe, and inherent work ethic, are just a few of the qualities I truly admire and believe generations born since will never fully appreciate. They, and many 1000s like them, arrived here and built new lives with nothing more than just one suitcase!
Inappropriate. There are so many other ways to honour Aylan and all those who perished, and this stunt is not one of them.