Pictures from a Revolution
Since its publication in 1981, Nicaragua: June 1978–July 1979 by Susan Meiselas has been considered a classic among war photography books. In Pictures from a Revolution, she returns to track down the people she photographed ten years previously.
Dictator Somoza has since been ousted, the national guard disbanded, and the counter-revolutionaries defeated. But little has changed for the people portrayed in Meiselas’ book. A few still believe in the struggle for justice, but life has not improved for the majority of the population, and perhaps has even worsened.
The confrontation with the photos of a decade ago sometimes produces detailed and painful memories. But there are also plenty of people who say they remember nothing about it and even deny being in the photo. It makes Meiselas doubt her medium as a means of finding the truth. And it also makes her realize how strongly the meaning of an image depends on place, time and intention.