Brazil: A camera, a president, a sword, and an international award
Rousseff had lost her fifth state minister in just eight months since her inauguration, when the photographer captured this moment. (EFE/Wilton de Sousa Júnior)
By UNIVISION NEWS
Channel: Latin American Affairs
According to Brazilian photographer Wilton de Sousa Júnior, president Dilma Rousseff was going “through a very difficult time” when she managed to capture a somewhat bizarre image that just won the International Prize for Journalism King of Spain 2012. The image shows Rousseff apparently run through by a sword, when in reality the guard holding the weapon is actually by her side at the Black Needles Military Academy (Academia Militar de Agulhas Negras) in Rio de Janeiro.
At the time, Rousseff had lost her fifth state minister in just eight months since her inauguration.
“I was looking for a photo that could synthesize this moment,” Júnior said about the moment; later describing the photo as “strong.” He will be awarded with 6,000 euros –some $7,600.
Some of Júnior’s previous work include: the killing of journalist Tim Lopes in September 2002, the Olympic torch relay in Rio de Janeiro in 2004, and the visit of Pope Benedict the 16th to Sao Paulo in 2007.
O Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper ran the image on August 21, 2011, and later the same month on the 31st on Veja’s magazine, which chose it as “picture of the week.”
Spanish press agency EFE – the Prize’s administrator – and Spain’s State Secretary for International Cooperation, joined by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECI), chose the photograph, a decision, which has already raised some criticism for allegedly being disrespectful to Rousseff.
