Why I withdrew this potential artwork from my fine art collection and stopped all future sales thereof
During a recent 4,500km round trip photography expedition to Namibia of which 600km was on dusty gravel roads, I came across a very prominent 100 year old building in the heart of the Namibian desert. This site, known as the Garub railway siding, is filled with a rich history dating back to 1906.
Filled with excitement and awe, I set up my tripod and camera to capture this photographic gem. But my excitement was short lived and turned into utter disappointment and disgust when I discovered the reality of what stood in front of me.
Four young tourists from France and Canada, with no respect for the heritage of the building nor the country that they were visiting, decided to deface this important historic building with graffiti splattered on the walls. They then posted images of their handiwork on social media for the world to ‘admire’.
Source: Article by Manni Goldbeck and published on the official Namibian.org website - April, 10, 2020 )
These images ultimately made their way to the front pages of both local and international newspapers and caused a real ‘desert storm’ of anger in Namibia and with the authorities in France and Canada
Just like the beautiful historical building had been spoiled, so too had my photographic experience of this special place. As a result, I halted the editing process and since have withdrawn the negative from my collection and stopped all future sales of the work.
My frustration got me thinking about a television interview with Bill Gates, at the turn of the century, in which he warned that we were busy “breeding a generation of morons” and that we needed to take immediate action to prevent this from happening. How true his prediction turned out to be.
It seems to me that values have changed dramatically and somehow we have lost our way. The new generation is looking for instant success without earning it through hard work. Been seen on social media, doing things that break traditional norms and values, somehow elevates users to ‘hero’ status.
In our modern world, the lust for instant success and recognition is somehow measured by whether or not a post of an outrageous action goes viral or if they make it to the front page of newspapers. Judging by this standard, these four despicable young individuals certainly achieved their objectives.
In the end, the spray-painted graffiti was finally cleaned off the walls by some caring locals and then, to put the final nail into the coffin of my absolute disgust, new graffiti has now been carved into the plasterwork of the building by yet another moron.
Take a close look at the front wall of the building in my spoiled photograph below and you will clearly see what kind of generation Bill Gates was talking about. Fortunately, there are still some that care about the environment, our heritage and things that are important in life!
(Latest graffiti 2024 - Photograph by Peter Dooley)
For more information about the rich history and importance of the Garub siding in Namibia, read the article published by Manni Goldbeck on:
https://namibian.org/news/nature-and-environment/garub-in-the-spotlight
