by Aidan Turowski
Daily Lobo
Lucian Niemeyer is no stranger to genocide.
After escaping Germany during the Hitler regime in 1937, Niemeyer was inspired to tell the stories of the genocide that took place in Rwanda and Sudan over the past 20 years. His exhibit is on display at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology.
The exhibit, "Sudan Slavery," is the second part of a four-part series titled "Africa: The Holocausts of Rwanda and Sudan." Each part of the exhibit will display a series of photographs Niemeyer has taken during several trips to Africa, from 1994 through 2004.
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"It's something you'll never understand until you see it," Niemeyer said. "Anarchy is a very difficult concept to understand by Americans, and that is what we had there - anarchy."
Student Sean Brennan said after visiting the exhibit he couldn't get the images out of his head.
"I thought the photography was beautiful, but what they were photographing was horrific," he said. "It's a beautiful exhibit, but it's terrifying."
The exhibit was also published as a book of the same title. It is a featured part of the exhibit and was published by UNM Press.
Released in February, the book features more than 185 photos taken from the exhibit, many depicting the conditions Africans endure as a result of genocide.
One of the photos features a woman displaying the burn marks on her chest where she was branded by scalding hot spears for refusing to submit to slavery.
During his research for "Sudan Slavery," Niemeyer traveled with Christian Solidarity International, a Swiss organization that travels to Africa to liberate slaves by buying their freedom. The usual cost to free a slave in Sudan, he said, is about $35.
Niemeyer's book is not without its share of controversy.
In the book, he criticizes the United Nations, U.S. churches and Europe for lack of actions regarding the genocides in Africa. He also mentions the religious conflicts between northern Arab Muslim groups and acts of ethnic cleansing upon the southern populations.
"I do get backlash," Niemeyer said. "I get e-mails from Muslims, threatening e-mails. They say I don't know what I'm talking about, and I'm an infidel and this and that."
Kathryn Klein is the director of the Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies, a program under the department of anthropology at UNM.
"He's definitely got his own agenda," Klein said. "It's been a great subject just for us to address in general."
Klein has been working with the center and the department to bring Niemeyer's exhibit to the Maxwell Museum.
"It's a difficult subject," Klein said. "But I think his photographs show a lot of hope in the end, considering the tragedy."
Niemeyer decided to take up photography after running a Volkswagen dealership in Pennsylvania. His project began after he was asked to document the refugee camps in Rwanda to help raise money needed for medicines and aid.
"All I am is a reporter," Niemeyer said. "If I come out with a story, I'm going to hopefully save a bunch of lives. I'm in a lucky position to be able to tell the story."
The first part of the exhibit, "Rwandan Refugees: A Story of Life," ran in December of 2005. Following "Sudan Slavery" through May 22, will be parts three and four, with "Sudan Oilfield Genocide" running from June 2 to Aug. 7, and "Nuba Mountains" from Aug. 25 to Nov. 11.
