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»Unicef Photo of the Year«: Five-year-old Alina learns to ride a bike while war rages in the background
Photograph:
Patryk Jaracz / dpa
This year's "Unicef Photo of the Year" was taken by Polish photographer Patryk Jaracz. The picture was presented by Unicef patron Elke Büdenbender, wife of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
In the shot, three girls can be seen in a meadow in western Ukraine. Five-year-old Alina is learning to ride a bike, and in the background a cloud of black smoke rises menacingly from an oil depot.
Jaracz had captured a "very moving scene with a very oppressive contrast," said Büdenbender. The war hangs like a really dark cloud over the children's everyday lives." Nevertheless, it also shows hope. "Surrounded by bad news, we owe it to children around the world to do everything we can to bring about good news together and to turn precarious situations into acceptable ones," Büdenbender said.
The image symbolizes "the light of childlike resilience and joys that break through the darkness of global wars, conflicts and disasters," Unicef said.
Second Prize for Images of Child Labour in Afghanistan
The second prize goes to the German photographer Oliver Weiken, who has dealt with child labour in Afghanistan. The third prize is awarded to Russian-born Natalya Saprunova, who photographed children of an indigenous people in Russia. Seven other reports will be honoured, including a photo series about the diabetic warning dog Enya and her owner Johannes.
In the international and non-endowed competition, Unicef Germany awards prizes once a year to photos and photo reports that, according to the information, document the personality and living conditions of children in an outstanding way. The paintings will be on public display at the Willy Brandt House in Berlin from the beginning of February.
fek/dpa