Robert J. Galbraith Afgan on DTNicholson's Wednesday-Night.com

We are honoured that Robert Galbraith has permitted us to reproduce his eloquent and moving conclusions on his tour in Afghanistan.

EIGHT WEEKS IN NOVEMBER
Let Us Not Forget What It Means To Be Canadian
Special to The Suburban by Robert J. Galbraith

Sometimes I feel that there will always be war. As long as there are two people remaining on this earth, there will be war. To believe that someday there will not be war on this planet, is wishful thinking. We are a civilization of war, past and present. War has built who we are and shapes our destiny. We celebrate it, it is who we are, it has molded us, and it always will.
Even though we call ourselves civilized and progressive, we are in reality regressive. We used to fight with clubs and spears and had some sort of chivalry, now we kill with smart bombs, unmanned aircraft and we drop bombs from the sky to intentionally kill and maim children.
War brings out the best and worst in us. I have seen the greatest acts of kindness and courage in the face of death. I have also seen the cowardice and the shamelessness that turned my stomach and almost left me without hope. But we must have hope.
The child victims of land mines and cluster bombs whom I visited in hospitals in Kabul and Baghdad have hope. They smiled at me while doctors bandaged their pathetic stumps that were once running and grasping limbs. They are who give me hope.
It is always the children and the elderly who suffer the most during war. After two decades of covering this scourge of grown men, to see a grown adult die almost becomes acceptable. But to see a child writhing in pain from stepping on a land mine or from playing with a cluster bomb which he or she thought was a toy, then it explodes in their face, makes me wish I was dead.
I have seen young children, very young children raped during war, and I have seen children form gangs, like packs of rabid wild dogs, just to survive the assaults of war and the perverts who use war to prey upon them.
After returning from the darkness of another conflict, it is difficult for me to walk the streets of this city I love. It is difficult because the ghosts of the dead haunt me. They are just over my shoulder, and between my ears, like clouds that never go away. I am so alone because of this, and I often ask for God’s help to keep me walking straight. But this is the price I pay to help you to understand war, and why we should help the innocent victims I have mentioned above. I am not scared to die, but I am very scared when I see children suffer. Because the death of innocence is the worst death to witness.
When my fellow Canadians ask me why we are over there in that struggling country, and why we are risking the lives of our soldiers for people we don’t even know, or a fight that they say isn’t ours, it absolutely breaks my heart. I love Afghanistan and its people. The same way I love Iraq and the souls who live there in destitution.
When, when did we lose our compassion for those who suffer injustice? When did we become solitary islands on this earth we all call home and our mother? How can we turn our backs on our brothers and sisters, wherever they may live, or whatever the colour of their skin?
Have we forgotten what a Canadian is, what it means to be a part of the greatest and most gracious nation on earth? What has happened to us? Why have we become so selfish, so unconcerned, so trivial, so complacent [in the face of] other peoples’ suffering? What is happening to us?
Many of us - our fathers, our grandfathers and grandmothers - came to this country to escape hatred, prejudice and injustice. We came here from countless nations to pray to the God of our choice and to vote for those we believe should lead us. Have we forgotten why we and they came here, why we live here, why we indeed prosper? Have we forgotten what it is to be human, to be a Canadian, to care?
I would not take one day back in my life as a journalist, not one day from the suffering and darkness I have walked through and breathed-in. I have never felt more alive than I do now, just days after my return from one of the most violent regions of the world. I have left the island of myself to seek and record the misery of others. I will always walk through that door into the dark, because if I do not, someday, you or your children may have to. Let us not forget what being a Canadian means.

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THE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Les Concerts Lachine: Les Saints-Anges en Musique organ & bagpipes concert on Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. Featuring Philippe Bélanger, organist. Free admission. Freewill offering. At St. Anges Church, 1400 St. Joseph, Lachine. Info: 514-637-7587. Montreal School of Performing...

Posting date: February 21, 2007, Vol 46 No 8

General News

Nothing is certain in Afghanistan except uncertainty

To use Robert Galbraith’s words, this was “extreme journalism”. Robert and his colleague Guido Schmidt are in Spin Bolduk, a dangerous Afghan crossing on the Pakistani border. Osama Bin-Laden had been seen here at the start of the conflict. Robert Galbraith has gone further, faster and deeper than a...

Posting date: November 14, 2007, Vol 46 No 46

Dispatches from the front

Montrealer Robert J. Galbraith is one of the leading war photojournalists of this generation. Galbraith’s career in journalism spans 20 years. He has written and/or photographed for numerous publications in North America and Europe including The New York Times. His reputation reached new heights whe...

Posting date: October 3, 2007, Vol 46 No 40

Letter to the Editor

The Suburban is exciting

Robert Galbraith’s series from Afghanistan was unparalleled. With reports like these The Suburban with Beryl Wajsman at the editorial helm has been transformed into a class alone as a weekly newspaper. The Suburban promises to be an exciting Canadian newspaper. I have been reading The Suburban durin...

Posting date: December 12, 2007, Vol 46 No 50

Kudos to Galbraith

Kudos to Robert Galbraith for his very moving article Faces of hope (Dec. 5), why we sacrifice. Kudos to Robert Galbraith for braving the horrors of war to bring us the story of these many people who face these demons on a daily basis. Kudos to Robert Galbraith for telling us why they deserve our help. And finally, kudos to Robert Galbraith for telling us what it really means to be a Canadian. George Lengvari

Posting date: December 12, 2007, Vol 46 No 50

Well-expressed praise

A friend recently told me about Robert Galbraith’s reports from Afghanistan’s “theatre of war” and I started reading his column last week. I think Beryl Wajsman’s intro to this week’s column provided the most well-expressed praise to Galbraith himself for his bravery in exposing himself to such dang...

Posting date: November 21, 2007, Vol 46 No 47

New high in The Suburban's reporting

Your feature by Robert J. Galbraith, Kabul: Reconstruction progresses amidst the ruins (The Suburban, Oct. 10) is one of the best I have seen in The Suburban in many years. The excellence of Robert Galbraith’s photography is spectacular.To have a photojournalist of Mr. Galbraith’s stature provide an...

Posting date: October 17, 2007, Vol 46 No 42

Monday 26 November 2007 Robert is back home
We are delighted to confirm that Robert has returned safely from his two-month tour (in the military sense of the word) in Afghanistan and we are honoured that he has invited us, along with The Suburban, to publish this summary of his thoughts on the experience. We believe that these recommendations should be widely discussed and submitted to the attention of our political representatives. DTN

19 November 2007 Robert's latest - and probably last before he leaves Afghanistan - message is posted at .dianaswednesday.com/2007/11/robert-galbraith-in-kandahar-update/ Diana' pages

Our Commitment in Afghanistan.doc by Robert J. Galbraith

Mon 19/11/2007 Hello David and Diana,

you may think it kind of strange that I send you these personal e-mails for you and all our friends to read, but i think it important for all to see the other side of the journalist, for better or for worse. I am a street or desert journalist, and doing this job, and I love it, has a great effect on ones character and psychological balance (and spelling and grammer as you can easily see). I dont just write and shoot a feature then head back to comforts of Club Med, at the Kandahar Airfield as many of my so-called colleagues do. I live in Kandahar, Kabul or Spin Boldak, amongst the Afghan people, and that is what it is all about, the missing voice. These mails also let you all realize that I am a human being also, and not just a pen and camera. I have such a huge respect for both of you, and knowing that you both there together, with Tinker and the Black Beast of Westmount, brings happiness to this sometimes dreary and dangerous life I occaisionally live. Please do not put the attached story on the web until you know I have left Afghanistan, in respect of Beryl, and for my safety. Special thanks to those friends who have written to me from Wednesday-Night. Love!
It is still hot as hell in the day and chilly at night. In fact, I just went to the desk to get another blankie. I was tossing and turning last night from the bomb blast and gun fight, then had to get up at 3:30 am to do a live hit talking about it on Beryl's radio show. then I was up at 6:30am to track down the damage from the bomb, which is long story but the cops arent talking about it as it gives the Taliban publicity, even though they did strike the main police office. They beleive it is better to keep the press blind than glorify victories by the Taliban, which I kind of agree with, as long as they dont hide too much. But they did say they wounded one of the Taliban attackers and have him in custody. I dont know why they dont attack my place, there are journalists here and if they take any of us out or wound us they would get good press coverage worldwide. I hope they arent reading this, as long as they dont strike room 33 or 34. A slight flesh wound would have me touring the high paying lecture circuit. I think I'm going insane? do you think so?? Death wish Kandahar or something. Glad Brian got out to PBurg and hopefully saw his buddies. Is the cafe still open. Tell Stephan not to close it till I've had my autumn coffee there. Has Psyco left yet? We pick up our tickets for Kabul tomorrow morn. But besides that, there isn't much you can do here in Kandahar but drink tea and get frusterated that you can't get right on the front line, but getting there would be sure suicide if you dont have contacts with the local tribal leaders or war chiefs. But Kandahar is the eye of the hurricane. The Taliban hung some mugger in public today, just down the road in Hellman Province. They are all over the place, including here, but they blend right in with the locals. Most of them are from Pakistan and other bent nations. It's not fair to the people who live here as they are literally at the ransom of these ignorant fanatical foreigners. With the recent bordom we are starting to go out into the city with a hotel driver at the greatest risk, but we are learning how to do it, such as always looking out the back of the vehicle to make sure we are not being tailed , then taking shots or video. Guido got a little panicked this morning when we walked out on an errand for four blocks and were followed by a small party of Black Turbans, or possible Taliban. Guido was quite nervous but I had my switchblade in my hands ready to stick in one of their throats had they made some sort of move. Rob.
Monday 19 November 2007 This city is very scary, its War City! Last night a huge explosion detonated just around the corner from us and rocked our hotel. The buidling trembled, the windows shook and I jumped right out of bed and ran up to the roof of our place only to see three mortar rockets smash into the same area, this while machine gun fire volleyed back and forth. It was a massive explosion and I thought for a moment that the Taliban were starting a new front right inside the city. It was sort of like Baghdad as I remember it. >br> Then today we were hearing large bombs being dropped or shot right outside of Kandahar. It appears as the city is becoming surrounded, though the authorities don't seem to want to talk about it except to tell us don't even think about leaving leaving our guest house let alone the city as great risk to life. So the war is coming to us rather than us going to it.
Tonight should be interesting and I might have to sleep with my bullet proof jcket on and helmet beside the bed. At the same time as the bullets were flying I called Beryl to let him hear some of the action. He was positively pumped and telling me to get out of the area and take cover, not realizing that this place is like a prison and is surounded by huge walls topped with barbed wire. It also has 8 machine gun totting guards at all times to protect us. Then he called me at 3:30am to do a live interview on his radio show, which is cool, so I am dead tired. I am also very antsy to get out of this country and be flying home. I have had about all the action I can handle for a couple of more years. So everyday, is like a hundred years.
Tomorrow we pick up our plane tickets for Kabul, and fly out Wednesday. Then Thursday as you know we fly out of Kabul for Dubai, and safety. Is there any snow on the ground? It is boiling hot here, and very cool at night.
Rob
Hello David and Diana,
you may think it kind of strange that I send you these personal e-mails for you and all our friends to read, but i think it important for all to see the other side of the journalist, for better or for worse. I am a street or desert journalist, and doing this job, and I love it, has a great effect on ones character and psychological balance (and spelling and grammer as you can easily see). I dont just write and shoot a feature then head back to comforts of Club Med, at the Kandahar Airfield as many of my so-called colleagues do. I live in Kandahar, Kabul or Spin Boldak, amongst the Afghan people, and that is what it is all about, the missing voice. These mails also let you all realize that I am a human being also, and not just a pen and camera. I have such a huge respect for both of you, and knowing that you both there together, with Tinker and the Black Beast of Westmount, brings happiness to this sometimes dreary and dangerous life I occaisionally live. Please do not put the attached story on the web until you know I have left Afghanistan, in respect of Beryl, and for my safety. Special thanks to those friends who have written to me from Wednesday-Night.
Love! Rob.

* November 17, 2007 dianaswednesday.com

Saturday Nov 17, 2007 Nothing is certain in Afghanistan except uncertainty

To use Robert Galbraith’s words, this was “extreme journalism”. Robert and his colleague Guido Schmidt are in Spin Bolduk, a dangerous Afghan crossing on the Pakistani border. Osama Bin-Laden had been seen here at the start of the conflict. Robert Galbraith has gone further, faster and deeper than any independent journalist in that theatre of war. Each story Robert writes in this series pushes reporting excellence higher. Since there is no internet on the front line, Robert and Guido dictated th...

Thursday 15 November 2007 in Kandahar. No more sand in our food.
After 4.5 days in the desert we are safely (?) in the Continental guest house in Kandahar. Great tea and cake and a garden with roses and butterflies. From greuling hell to a less hell. Will get back to you very shortly, need a shower cause my hair is looking like a Rastafarian.
Love to all!
Robert J. Galbraith

Wednesday 07 November 2007 We heard about the blast at 3 pm, and since it was a 2-3 hour drive we decided not to pursue it as it would have taken us into 'Boogieman Land' after dark. So, as I told you and the kids, we only take risks when absolutely necessary. Which is everyday as it is. It is a huge story here and the security level is at its peak, there are soldiers and cops everywhere, but no foreign soldiers, the Afghans are starting to take care of their own business, which is great and as planned. We went out on these security patrols with the elite Quick Reaction Force (the Afghan Elite Police Force) and had a very interesting time patrolling the streets backed up by heavy machine guns and other hardware. Great phots. But we missed out on a Quick Reaction opportunity to outside Kabul, but tomorrow we will probably be out chasing and firing guns at the insurgents. This is what we have been waiting for and if not tomorrow, then the day after. We were given 10 minutes notice about todays gig but qe never rendevoused because of hellish traffic and miscommunication between taxi drivers. We just now returned from the monthly cocktail party at the Dutch Embassy which was areal hoot. good finger food and Heineken and met some old journalist friends from the Mustapha in 2005. so back home now eating MRE's. We are going to get some ugly mean` assignments in next ten days so if you dont here from me, dont panic, we are keeping safe and we are the best at what we do. We are peaking as journalists when Afghanistan is at a major crossroads in its existence, and we are ready for it. Wait till you see the photos!

Montrealer Robert J. Galbraith is one of the leading war photojournalists of this generation. Galbraith’s career in journalism spans 20 years. He has written and/or photographed for numerous publications in North America and Europe including The New York Times. His reputation reached new heights when he published Iraq: Eyewitness to War — A
Photojournalist’s Diary.

Galbraith refused to be an embedded reporter with the American forces and he did not want to sit through orchestrated press conferences at the press centre. He wanted total freedom to cover the war. At great personal peril, he managed to cover the war in a way that has rarely been seen.

Unlike many in the media, despite the human toll and tragedy he documented, his is a compelling and authentic voice on the importance of a heightened Canadian military and diplomatic engagement in democratic development and nation-building worldwide.

Iraq was not his first tour in a war zone. That came in Israel during the scud missle attacks. Then Galbraith covered the rest of the first Gulf War. He returned to Iraq to cover the current war and then he went to Afghanistan in 2005. He has been in the process of planning a new mission to Afghanistan for the better part of the year. Robert feels it is vital to record the critical role Canadian troops are playing in the Kandahar operation. There are untold stories of heroism and valour amidst the service and sacrifice that have literally saved the allied mission. Robert means to tell those stories. He left yesterday for his latest rendezvous with destiny.

We at The Suburban are honoured that many of the freelance reports and photos that Robert will be filing will be published in our pages.

Robert’s decision to include this newspaper among the recipients of his dispatches attests to the success of the broader scope we have taken and the heightened relevance of our impact.

During a conference on Iraq organized by my Institute for Public Affairs of Montreal, Robert told me this about his work: “During the compilation of my book, many of my friends said that the cover was too shocking, and might turn off prospective buyers. But to me it was perhaps the most powerful image to come out of my journey, and the symbolism it reflected. Photojournalism is not just documentation.

It is also about advancing art. Oscar Wilde said that art should affront, should repulse, otherwise it will never advance. There are many war books out there with neutral or boring covers. I wanted people to have a finger stuck in their eye when they saw my book, and to realize that this is the real thing, this is the real account of the misery of war. “

This is the kind of hard-hitting journalism you can expect from Robert Galbraith’s dispatches from the front.

In our talks over the past few weeks I asked what motivated him to pursue this latest adventure. Hadn’t he proven his courage? Hadn’t he done enough to raise conscience and consciousness? His answer was poignant and instructive for us all.

“We should always be willing and fearless to challenge the darkness,” he said.

“Whatever that darkness is. Be it subjugation of another people or the ghosts in our own closets. You are never more alive as when you challenge your worst fears. This is why I am a war photojournalist, and will ever continue to be.”

To learn more about this extraordinary man and his remarkable work, visit his website at www.robertgalbraith.com and look for his stories and pictures in the weeks to come.
Tuesday 06 November 2007 Autor Guido Schmidt und Fotograf Robert J. Galbraith berichten aus Afghanistan. Sie begleiten Patrouillen der ISAF-Truppen, sprechen mit Generälen und Soldaten, mit Menschen auf der Straße, und begleiten die Ausbildung von EUPOL ebenso, wie die Einsätze der Schnellen Eingreiftruppe der afghanischen Grenzpolizei.
we will be adding coverage at a fast rate. check it daily.
Staying safe at the beach! Rob./Guido. in Kaboom.

[Robert] Galbraith on patrol Your feature by Robert J. Galbraith, Kabul: Reconstruction progresses amidst the ruins (The Suburban, Oct. 10) is one of the best I have seen in The Suburban in many years. The excellence of Robert Galbraith’s photography is spectacular.To have a photojournalist of Mr. Galbraith’s stature provide an...
Wednesday 31 October 2007 We will be going out on a German patrol, something we've been desperately seeking for quite a while, to wrap our first main report for the magazine. We have also been given the green light to cover any Afghan National Army activity. so that is great extras for the web site and magazine. Then we have been given an opportunity to travel south with the British to cover the nitty gritty of the clashes in Helmand, but this has yet to be confirmed, but it looks very, very positive. i cant talk much about these topics because of security issues and possible eavesdropping. But I will give you a heads up when that occurrs, if I am allowed to.
The Suburban should have my latest work out today or tomorrow and aI cant wait to see how they played it, as it is raw photojournalism. Let me know when you see it. We are both very upbeat and waiting for the phone to ring with our next adventure. We are also on 24 hour call for a gig on the Afghan-Pakistan border with the Afghan border Patrol, so lots is happening. It has all come together when earlier, it was quite frusterating. November should be a month to remember as a war journalist.
(David, my very best to the gang tonight and I have been too busy to send you stuff or file my flickr site as the days are long and exhausting. i am sure you understand). Guido has been adding a few articles to his web site and will be adding more in next couple of days. You can see that at www.copyreiter.de.
Rob.
P.S. we are just watching, before bed, the video Guido took of us on the British patrol.

Saturday 20 October 2007 Canada helps rebuild Murad Khane
By Robert J. Galbraith, The Suburban

Kabul, Afghanistan - Six years after the Taliban’s horrendous bombing of the fabulous Buddha complex at Bamiyan, Afghanistan’s greatest national treasure and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, efforts are being made by the Canadian government to save another great piece of Afghan heritage from death by neglect.

Last week it was announced that Canada would donate $3 million over the next four years in support of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation’s efforts to accelerate the economic, social and cultural regeneration of Murad Khane, a historic commercial and residential district in Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul.

For over 30 years this historic district had been used as a landfill site for garbage, and had been smothered by a layer of compacted trash over two metres deep. Destined for an appointment with the wrecker’s ball, the 16-acre district’s 200-year-old buildings, architectural treasures of Afghan culture, had been abandoned and many had collapsed. Then in 2006, the Turquoise Mountain Foundation stepped in to ring the warning bell. Among other efforts, the foundation has helped clear garbage, restore infrastructure and homes, and provide literacy, health and vocational training to residents.

“One thing I should say is that we are incredibly grateful to the government of Canada. Here we have a government which is looking at the whole situation in Afghanistan,” commented Anna Woodiwiss, Director of Development and Communications for the foundation. “We also hope that the investment by Canada will spur other investments by other countries in Afghanistan.”

Woodiwiss described that, “in 1973 this area was slated for destruction as part of a master development plan, and because of this people started filling it in with garbage, as an easy way of disposing with their trash. But since the spring of 2006 we have cleaned out 5,000 cubic metres (half the garbage in the area). We employ the men in the community who chop it up with picks and wheelbarrow it out to trucks. Hundreds and hundreds of truckloads have been taken out.”

Murad Khane is home to about 600 people of multi-ethnic character and is very much residential, but it happens to contain a tremendous amount of traditional Afghan architecture, some of the best examples in the entire nation. It could be comparable to what Old Quebec City represents architecturally to Quebec.

“It is important that the capital centre have an area that is clean, that’s beautiful, that is traditionally Afghan, a showcase of what the best of Afghanistan could and should be,” says Woodiwiss. “This area has the potential to be a cultural and economic hub for Kabul. We are trying to use art and architectural heritage as a driver to create economic growth. The goal is to preserve the architecture and to improve lives and capture the imagination.”
In fact, the project has become an important employer for the country’s stone masons, builders, wood carvers and artisans. It employs close to 200 people, who are using their ancient trades and teaching apprentices to preserve and carry on the lost art of classic Afghani architectural construction. Some of the buildings will be used as classrooms to teach how to throw clay pots, weave silk, carve wood and other trades.
“You can’t afford to neglect culture and architectural heritage,” commented Woodiwiss. “We have a literacy centre, an embroidery class for women where they can earn an income, we have a clinic with a doctor for treating people. This will become a centre of arts, crafts and culture. The commitment we got from the Canadian government is a way of saying we support Afghan culture and revitalization.”
Last week Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan Arif Lalani toured the site to see the progress for himself.
“This is something concrete that Afghans and others can see that Afghans are doing for themselves. The results are literally here on the street; and they give hope. This is a success story on all counts “
Woodiwiss stated that the project is not being undertaken as much to draw in foreign tourists but to attract Afghanis, and to instill in them a pride in their own culture and heritage.
“For Canada to support this project is very visible and permanent. In a number of years from now, when people ask, well, what did the international governments do for us, they will be able to see that this area was a gift from the people of Canada.”

Sunday Oct 7, 2007 Dispatches from the front
Montrealer Robert J. Galbraith is one of the leading war photojournalists of this generation. Galbraith’s career in journalism spans 20 years. He has written and/or photographed for numerous publications in North America and Europe including The New York Times. His reputation reached new heights when he published Iraq: Eyewitness to War — APhotojournalist’s Diary. Galbraith refused to be an embed...
A glowing - and well-deserved tribute to Robert Galbraith by Beryl Wajsman (see excerpts below), who has just left for Afghanistan, appeared in The Suburban on 3 October. We wish Robert Godspeed and a safe return, look forward to his promised reports and will miss him greatly at Wednesday Nights. We are amused that in his usual spirit of “mixing it up”, he arrives in Afghanistan at the moment when the Liberal critic and the two Ministers have landed there on their separate (and surely not equal) missions.
October 06, 2007
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — The competing Conservative and Liberal visions about what Canada should be doing to help bring peace to Afghanistan found an unexpected new stage when Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier arrived at the Canadian base here late Saturday — hours before the expected arrival of Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre.
By Beryl Wajsman, Editor, The Suburban
Montrealer Robert J. Galbraith is one of the leading war photojournalists of this generation. Galbraith’s career in journalism spans 20 years. He has written and/or photographed for numerous publications in North America and Europe including The New York Times. His reputation reached new heights when he published Iraq: Eyewitness to War — A Photojournalist’s Diary.
Galbraith refused to be an embedded reporter with the American forces and he did not want to sit through orchestrated press conferences at the press centre. He wanted total freedom to cover the war. At great personal peril, he managed to cover the war in a way that has rarely been seen.
Unlike many in the media, despite the human toll and tragedy he documented, his is a compelling and authentic voice on the importance of a heightened Canadian military and diplomatic engagement in democratic development and nation-building worldwide.
Iraq was not his first tour in a war zone. That came in Israel during the scud missle attacks. Then Galbraith covered the rest of the first Gulf War. He returned to Iraq to cover the current war and then he went to Afghanistan in 2005. He has been in the process of planning a new mission to Afghanistan for the better part of the year. Robert feels it is vital to record the critical role Canadian troops are playing in the Kandahar operation. There are untold stories of heroism and valour amidst the service and sacrifice that have literally saved the allied mission. Robert means to tell those stories. He left yesterday for his latest rendezvous with destiny.
We at The Suburban [and at Wednesday Night] are honoured that many of the freelance reports and photos that Robert will be filing will be published in our pages.
… In our talks over the past few weeks I asked what motivated him to pursue this latest adventure. Hadn’t he proven his courage? Hadn’t he done enough to raise conscience and consciousness? His answer was poignant and instructive for us all.
“We should always be willing and fearless to challenge the darkness,” he said.
“Whatever that darkness is. Be it subjugation of another people or the ghosts in our own closets. You are never more alive as when you challenge your worst fears. This is why I am a war photojournalist, and will ever continue to be.”

Dispatches from the front

By Beryl Wajsman, Editor, The Suburban

Montrealer Robert J. Galbraith is one of the leading war photojournalists of this generation. Galbraith’s career in journalism spans 20 years. He has written and/or photographed for numerous publications in North America and Europe including The New York Times. His reputation reached new heights when he published Iraq: Eyewitness to War — A
Photojournalist’s Diary.

Galbraith refused to be an embedded reporter with the American forces and he did not want to sit through orchestrated press conferences at the press centre. He wanted total freedom to cover the war. At great personal peril, he managed to cover the war in a way that has rarely been seen.

Unlike many in the media, despite the human toll and tragedy he documented, his is a compelling and authentic voice on the importance of a heightened Canadian military and diplomatic engagement in democratic development and nation-building worldwide.

Iraq was not his first tour in a war zone. That came in Israel during the scud missle attacks. Then Galbraith covered the rest of the first Gulf War. He returned to Iraq to cover the current war and then he went to Afghanistan in 2005. He has been in the process of planning a new mission to Afghanistan for the better part of the year. Robert feels it is vital to record the critical role Canadian troops are playing in the Kandahar operation. There are untold stories of heroism and valour amidst the service and sacrifice that have literally saved the allied mission. Robert means to tell those stories. He left yesterday for his latest rendezvous with destiny.

We at The Suburban are honoured that many of the freelance reports and photos that Robert will be filing will be published in our pages.

Robert’s decision to include this newspaper among the recipients of his dispatches attests to the success of the broader scope we have taken and the heightened relevance of our impact.

During a conference on Iraq organized by my Institute for Public Affairs of Montreal, Robert told me this about his work: “During the compilation of my book, many of my friends said that the cover was too shocking, and might turn off prospective buyers. But to me it was perhaps the most powerful image to come out of my journey, and the symbolism it reflected. Photojournalism is not just documentation.

It is also about advancing art. Oscar Wilde said that art should affront, should repulse, otherwise it will never advance. There are many war books out there with neutral or boring covers. I wanted people to have a finger stuck in their eye when they saw my book, and to realize that this is the real thing, this is the real account of the misery of war. “

This is the kind of hard-hitting journalism you can expect from Robert Galbraith’s dispatches from the front.

In our talks over the past few weeks I asked what motivated him to pursue this latest adventure. Hadn’t he proven his courage? Hadn’t he done enough to raise conscience and consciousness? His answer was poignant and instructive for us all.

“We should always be willing and fearless to challenge the darkness,” he said.

“Whatever that darkness is. Be it subjugation of another people or the ghosts in our own closets. You are never more alive as when you challenge your worst fears. This is why I am a war photojournalist, and will ever continue to be.”

To learn more about this extraordinary man and his remarkable work, visit his website at www.robertgalbraith.com and look for his stories and pictures in the weeks to come. 2007-10-03 10:14:41

2008

Robert Galbraith: Eight weeks in November