Photographing Evidence of Evil

In an age where there is always a camera present, when taking a photo has become an inevitable act in nearly every situation, sometimes we have to step back and ask ourselves, "Is this appropriate?"  Clearly, this thought doesn't enter into the minds of many.  Some view the selfie as a symptom of societal degradation, promoting narcissism and materialism.  Instead of focusing on an experience, people now focus on themselves.  Instead of participating in the moment, people are concerned with the angle of their selfie sticks, the tilt of their heads, the flawless application of makeup and accessories.  It is no surprise, of course, that such activities occur during events or in places where it is completely inappropriate.  The most famous of these instances is perhaps that moment when Helle Thorning-Schmidt, then Prime Minister of Denmark, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and the President of the United States Barack Obama sat down next to each other at Nelson Mandela's funeral, leaned in, and smirked into the camera of Thorning-Schmidt's smartphone.  Yes, we live in a time when leaders of the free world do not think twice about taking a selfie.  At a funeral.

So, with that in mind, there are times when I question the appropriateness of even taking a simple photograph.  I often wrestle with this problem even in normal situations.  Should I be concerned about taking a photograph or should I be completely in the moment? It's a struggle that many photographers deal with, especially, I think, travel photographers.  We must find the balance between appreciating and experiencing a place or moment and documenting it.

When we began planning a visit to the Dachau Concentration camp, I especially struggled with the question of photographing the experience.  I was concerned the act would not only be inappropriate and upsetting, but also would also inadvertently build a screen between us and the place.  This was a location that had to be respected with our complete attention.  However, after careful thought, I decided I would photograph it.  The purpose of these memorials and museums is to educate the public, to honor the victims of the holocaust, and to say once and for all, "Yes, this happened.  This is how it happened.  We must be vigilant that it does not happen again."  It is the responsibility of those of us who visit these places to not only honor them with our behavior while there, but also to tell others about them.   Photographs are documentation.  I could not go to this place and not fulfill my obligation to document it.

Interrogation room, Camp Prison.

This camp was the first concentration camp developed by the Nazis.   It was opened in an abandoned munitions factory near the city of Dachau (16km north of Munich) in March of 1933, just short of the two month anniversary of Hitler becoming chancellor of Germany.  Originally, it was a camp for around 5,000 German and Austrian political prisoners, those who did not agree with the new autocracy- members of opposing political parties, the clergy, members of the German and Austrian royal families, and those who participated in the German and Austrian resistance.  However, it was quickly expanded and eventually encompassed 100 subcamps. The complex contained a total of over 188,000 political prisoners, Jews, homosexuals, prisoners of war, "asocials", Sinti and Roma, and other undesirable immigrants from 1933 to 1945.  They were tortured, used for slave labor, and the subjects of medical experiments. It is known that at least 28,000 people were killed at this camp between 1940 and its liberation in 1945.  The numbers of the dead prior to 1940 are unknown.

Today the main camp location is a memorial and museum site.  The barracks were all destroyed, but two have been reconstructed.  The rest are marked in stone and gravel.

The camp prison, maintenance building, crematoriums, gates, watch towers, and fence still stand.  They serve as museums and memorial sites.  Religious chapels for various faiths were built on the northern end of the complex after the creation of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in 1965.

Camp prison courtyard.  The posts in the background were used for hanging torture.

Camp Prison cell block.

Crematorium

Gas chamber.  There is no evidence that the gas chamber in Dachau was ever used.

Crematory ovens.

Today it is becoming easier and easier for people to set aside the holocaust as being "so long ago" as to not be important.  "It's time to move on," is a phrase I've heard and read in several places.  "It was a bizarre historical anomaly that was the product of an extreme situation." But, is 70 years that long ago?  Should we move on?  Repurpose these sites? Place all of this in a file and seal it up with the other events of the past that we believe no longer matter, but are now just topics for historians?  Was the genocide of millions in Europe truly an anomaly?

Only a fool would answer yes.  The anger and hatred against those who are different has never actually subsided.  It festers underneath.  We have not moved on.  Terrible acts of genocide continue to occur in this time.  Patriotism quickly becomes nationalism.  Debates turn into exchanges of hate speech.  Stereotypes give birth to profiling which becomes the tool of discrimination and mistreatment.  In some parts of the world the "different" are beaten, raped, and beheaded; in others they are prosecuted.  And here?  Europe now faces a new crisis of conscience as refugees from the Middle East seek shelter within its borders.  The governments of some of these countries did not hesitate before immediately plunging into fear mongering rhetoric and enacting anti-migrant policies.  Others opened their doors.  However, as the crisis continues, it is becoming clear that even in these "safe havens" the scales are beginning to tip.  Baseball bat wielding gangs have been spotted here and there in the streets of Germany, on the exact mission the brown shirts once claimed. The same evil born of ignorance, fear, and hatred which was unleashed in the 1930's and 40's is waiting patiently for its chance to rise again in this century.  In some places, it already has.  The only way to stop it from spreading is by shining a light on it and calling it out for what it is.

We have not succeeded and probably never will in ridding humanity of its desire to destroy itself.  That does not mean we shouldn't try at least to recognize its symptoms within ourselves.  It is our responsibility to continue to share the stories of the holocaust and other tragedies and crimes of history with later generations, not sweep them under the rug.  We should be slapped in the face with their reality and all their horrors.  These camps, documentation centers, memorials, and museums must be visited.  They are certainly not places for portraits and selfies; here we must for once take our minds off ourselves, and stand in awe of history and the brink of a possible future.  Yes, they must be photographed, with respect and mindfulness.  They must be seen.  In a short time those who survived and witnessed these events will no longer be with us to share their stories.  From then on, we and future generations will be left with recordings, writings, and photographs.  They must be preserved and hallowed, and the ruins of the Nazi legacy which still stand should be photographed today.  Buildings too crumble into dust.  At no point should we be complacent enough leave this evidence of evil unexposed to the world.

Dachau Concentration Camp Museum and Memorial