A Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate has slammed international media outlets for cropping her out of a photograph taken with fellow white climate activists at Davos.
Nakate is part of a group of young climate activists pushing for a greener environment and an end to the destruction of the environment through human activities.
This week she has been in Davos, Switzerland with her fellow peers to attend the World Economic Forum.
At that event Nakate and her peers addressed a press conference and a photograph was taken there after.
But her picture was cropped out from the photograph leaving only the while young climate activists including namely Greta Thunberg, Loukina Tille, Luisa Neubauer and Isabelle Axelsson.
Racism in Media?
Global news agency AP was one of those outlets that published the photograph without Nakate.
The Ugandan activist has accused the media of racism and said in an emotional video statement that for the first time in her life she “understood the definition of the word racism”.
Nakate said “We don’t deserve this. Africa is the least emitter of carbons, but we are the most affected by the climate crisis…You erasing our voices won’t change anything. You erasing our stories won’t change anything,” she said.
“I don’t feel ok right now. The world is so cruel.”
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What it means to be removed from a photo! https://t.co/1dmcbyneYV— Vanessa Nakate (@vanessa_vash) January 24, 2020
AP, which has since removed the cropped photo, said there was “no ill intent”.
“The photographer was trying to get a picture out fast under tight deadline and cropped it purely on composition grounds because he thought the building in the background was distracting,” the news agency’s director of photography, David Ake, said.
Support for Nakate
But many on social media have come to the support of the 23-year old Ugandan activist who continues to push for action to be taken against climate change.
I’m so sorry they did this to you… you are the last one who would deserve that! We are all so grateful for what you are doing and we all send love and support!!❤️❤️???hope to see you soon again!!
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) January 24, 2020
We did a press conference today wrapping up the week at #WEF2020
It has come to my attention that more than one article has cut @vanessa_vash out of the photos. That is unacceptable, her voice is just as, if not more, valuable than ours in a place like this. #ClimateJustice pic.twitter.com/8kjkNVgVhU
— Isabelle Axelsson? (@isabelle_ax) January 24, 2020
If you look very carefully, you can see where @AP cropped black climate activist @vanessa_vash out of the photo
It might surprise some, but black and brown people being affected by the #ClimateEmergency are also helping to find the solutions too#ClimateCrisis pic.twitter.com/LoEzE81g67— Charlene (@CK1london) January 24, 2020
Source: Africafeeds.com
