Exhibition: Unyielding floods; Restoring Hope showing at the OXO Gallery
Action Against Hunger is holding the free exhibition at the OXO Gallery from February 8-19.
Photographer, Peter Caton, and international charity, Action Against Hunger, will present Unyielding floods; Restoring Hope.
The arresting display of photos highlights the devastation caused by years of extreme flooding in South Sudan and how communities are adapting in the face of the climate crisis.
For three years in a row, unyielding floods have swept away whole villages, destroyed crops, drowned livestock and forced people to flee their homes, leaving families hungry and unable to support themselves.
Areas of the country remain submerged. The UN has warned that up to 7.8 million people in South Sudan – two-thirds of the population – may face severe food shortages during this year’s April-to-July lean season, the period between harvests.
Caton started documenting the severe flooding in 2020. He visited the remote and badly hit towns of Paguir and Old Fangak, in Jonglei State, and photographed the villagers as they cleared water from their homes day and night, and desperately searched for something to eat.
He returned in 2021 and 2022 to capture the villagers’ resilience, and the climate adaptation projects supported by Action Against Hunger.
Caton said: “It is important to bear witness to the resilience of communities surviving the devastation caused by flooding. They do not get the attention they deserve. Despite doing little to contribute to climate change, they are disproportionately affected by it.
“By returning to the remote communities in South Sudan, I was able to document the ongoing impact of the unyielding floods. I also photographed the vital work of Action Against Hunger to help communities adapt to the changing climate, find a new source of food, and restore hope for their future.”
Picture: Peter Caton captures flooding in South Sudan Picture: Peter Caton