FCBARCELONA.CAT

11.06.2009 12:15

Much more than photographs

Marc Parramon (enviat especial)

More than 200 people attended the inauguration of the travelling exhibition on the impact of HIV/AIDS in Swaziland on Wednesday. The exhibition of photographs by Pep Bonet is on display in the UNICEF Visitors Center in New York.

The exhibition by the Catalan photographer Pep Bonet, entitled “HIV/AIDS Impact: Life and Hopes of Swazi Orphans”, attracted some 200 people at the launch in the Danny Kaye Visitors Center.

VIPS at launch

The launch was attended by UNICEF executive director Ann Veneman, ambassadors from a number of countries, Barça president Joan Laporta and Marta Segú, director of the FCB Foundation.

The event coincided with the UNICEF Executive Board meeting, an annual meeting that brings together all the agency’s national committees. Last year, this meeting was held in Barcelona.

Moving photographs

In the opinion of Joan Laporta, the exhibition highlights the important of the Foundation’s programmes and at the same time reflects the desperate situation in Swaziland: “Believe me, my trip to Swaziland changed my life. Many of the young people we see in these photographs have to take care of their siblings because their parents have died of AIDS”.

Mr Laporta explained that Barça’s support for people affected by AIDS and the joint efforts with UNICEF are a source of great pride to the Club: “In all humility, we feel we are better human beings cooperating with UNICEF”.

Barça and UNICEF

According to Ann Veneman, the joint work with FC Barcelona is much more than just symbolic: “Barça is UNICEF’s team”. In her speech, she also thanked Mr Laporta and the rest of the Club’s representatives for their presence in New York and also for the work done by the two organizations over the last three years.

For her part, Marta Segú stressed that Pep Bonet's photographs represent the reality of Swaziland: “The exhibition tries to show the daily life of the many Swazi orphans who are experiencing the impact of AIDS and we would like to show the importance of this epidemic and its impact on the life of these children”.