Integrity Score 942
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Narrative's Sources:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2002/04/afghan-girl-revealed/
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/steve-mccurry-photographing-the-essential-soul-2013387.html
https://thewire.in/media/afghan-girl-steve-mccurry-national-geographic
Narrative's Sources:
https://www.khaama.com/iconic-afghan-girl-photo-sold-for-a-record-price-poland-8778576/
Photograph:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sharbat_Gula.jpg
During a morning in 1984 spent documenting Nasir Bagh, a refugee camp in Pakistan, photographer Steve McCurry made one of the world’s most recognisable photos when he came across Sharbat Gula’s captivating sea-green eyes in an all-girls religious school.
For 17 years, Gula was referred to as the “Afghan Girl” who appeared in the cover of National Geographic’s June 1985 issue. Her name remained unknown till McCurry, accompanied by the magazine’s team, travelled to Pakistan in 2002 to find her.
Eventually, they came across Gula’s childhood friend, who said Gula lived in the mountains near Tora Bora, Afghanistan, and went to get her. After three days, Gula arrived and her story was published by National Geographic in 2002. However, the story’s facts and the ethics of McCurry’s photojournalism have been criticized.
According to the 2002 article, Gula’s parents were killed by a Soviet bombing in Afghanistan, after which Gula, her four brothers and their grandmother walked to Pakistan through snow-covered mountains.
Gula's direct quotes reflect a resilient Pashtun woman who wants to empower her children with education and refers to her burka as a “beautiful thing to wear, not a curse.” The surrounding text stands in contrast as the article reads:
“Faced by questions, she retreats into the black shawl wrapped around her face, as if by doing so she might will herself to evaporate. The eyes flash anger. It is not her custom to subject herself to the questions of strangers.”
According to The Wire, Gula’s mother died from appendicitis, and her father was still alive during the move to Pakistan. She was angry about being photographed by a man outside her family, and covered her face, before being asked to lower her hands.
Gula had mixed feelings about the photo according to BBC: the media attention led to 15 days of imprisonment and deportation, but has also contributed to helping widows and orphans -- she wants to establish an NGO that offers free medical treatment.
McCurry and National Geographic have sold prints of the image for as high as $178,900. In October 2020, the photo was auctioned at a record high for Poland at over $70,000.