The souls of the "Great Thirst"

We are a remarkable species. In the heartbeat of our existence we’ve conjured fire from rocks and twigs, swapped our caves for skyscrapers, and tiptoed from the edge of civilisation, to the edge of space. For all our great achievements, however, we should not forget out failings. Despite the great leaps in technology, in every epoch we shatter there are pockets of poverty we choose to ignore. In 1993, Kevin Carter gave the world a reality check. Images like his infamous photograph of a vulture eyeing a starving child as he would any other carrion, reminded us of our shame. As a photographer, you chronicle these moments in the hope to bring change. This photograph of the child and the vulture did stir people's conscience, and there was a spike in the desire to make a difference in these people's lives. Yet, the news is fleeting, and the story moved on. Not much has changed for the people of South Sudan since 1993 and that first harrowing glimpse into the life of a refugee.29 years later I travelled to the same lost world to see for myself how much has changed. I remember the temperature that day was 47 C under shade, and I was feeling too ashamed to complain about the heat. Here live the Jiye people. For over two hundred years this tribe, just 8000 strong, has defied the odds and gods to survive in the arid territory. Seeing people congregate around a tree waiting for food to arrive may look like a beautiful image, but the look in the people's eyes as they hold out an empty bowl is heartbreaking. The Jiye population, photographed with flies in eyes and bones protruding is a resilient community but is still part of the 8.3 million people facing severe food insecurity in South Sudan. Here, every road is treacherous when there are roads at all. This is a pocket of our planet beset by plagues. Famine and drought come often, indeed; the uncertain rainfall is so infrequent it has given the region its other name. This is The Great Thirst, and these are the souls that don’t even have a wells from where they can get their water. In my time with the people of South Sudan I did my best to preserve everything. Not only the awesome suffering these resilient people strive to overcome every day, but every spark of unbridled joy. It is my hope that my work brings us another reality check and perhaps finally we who have created much wealth, conquered the stars, defeated diseases, and brought light to so many, can finally give the people of the Jiey tribe the dignity of relief. Jyie tribe, only 8000 people strong defying the odds and gods to survive. This series of images was taken to raise awareness on people and culture that is on the edge of disappearance due to lack of food. The older generation photographed here have spend all their lives struggling for food. The question now remains: are the young generations will have the same destiny as their grandparents and parents?