COLORS 74 – Victims. Sichuan province, China

For the fist time in this diary, I’m not using a photo taken in one of my trips. When I saw this picture I felt I had to share it, for the strong symbolism, but also for is beauty. On May 12, 2008, a 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Sichuan province of China. The epicenter was 80 kilometers west-northwest of Chengdu with a depth of 19 kilometers. According to China’s State Seismological Bureau, at the time of printing over 11,380 aftershocks had been recorded. The earthquake devastated eight provinces: Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Yunnan, Shanxi, Guizhou and Hubei. The total damages are estimated to exceed US$20 billion. According to official figures, the quake caused 69,181 known deaths, 68,620 of which were in Sichuan province. 17,686 people were listed as missing, and 374,061 as injured. About 4.8 million people were left homeless, although the number could be as high as 11 million. Millions of livestock and a significant amount of agriculture were also destroyed, including 12.5 million animals. Colors Magazine stated a campaign with a powerful message to this disaster but also to the word. This fantastic photo taken by Erik Ravelo for Fabrica (Benetton’s communication research centre) teaches us that there is another way of looking at tragedy. Can two peoples – seemingly destined to be enemies – share a common hope? More than a magazine, Colors 74 – Victims is a symbolic gesture which attempts to unite where there is only division, to make peace where the only urge is to fight. This issue is divided into five chapters which follow the timeline of the earthquake and rescue operations. The photos, too, follow the same chronological order and portray the same stages, highlighting the distinguishing moments. It is inspired by the meaning and design of traditional Tibetan prayer flags and its principal intention is to promote peace, harmony and hope. The sheets can be cut and hung as prayer flags in the wind. According to Tibetan tradition, this will help to fulfill the prayers and the pleas found throughout the magazine, including your own prayers on the blank pages provided. Sacred words and symbols are printed on these pages. Be respectful, don’t throw the magazine away. Don’t trash it. Don’t forget it in a drawer. If you really can’t stand it anymore, go and burn it in the garden and the smoke will deliver the blessings to the sky. Thirty Tibetan monks have agreed to dedicate their prayers to the victims of the earthquake that recently terrorized the Sichuan province of China. From Italy to India, the U.S. to Germany, Colors visited them and showed them pictures of turmoil, hope, the invincible force of nature and the indomitable spirit of those who manage to carry on with their lives. Each picture became a prayer, each prayer a gift. Colors 74 – Victims is on sale since August and available in seven languages – Tibetan, Chinese, English, Italian, French, Spanish or German – enclosed in graphic reproductions of the traditional Tibetan prayer flags, symbols of harmony and protection against danger and evil. Part of the profit will be donated to Red Cross in providing aid to the survivors of the Sichuan earthquake. The same happens with the Tibet/ China t-shirts, also on sale at the Benetton mega stores. http://www.colorsmagazine.com/victims/