When I first arrived in beautiful Zimbabwe, it was difficult to understand that 35 percent of the population is HIV positive. It really wasn't until I was invited to the homes of people that I started to understand the human toll of the epidemic. For instance, this is Herbert with his grandmother. When I first met him, he was sitting on his grandmother's lap. He has been orphaned, as both of his parents died of AIDS, and his grandmother took care of him until he too died of AIDS. He liked to sit on her lap because he said that it was painful for him to lie in his own bed. When she got up to make tea, she placed him in my own lap and I had never felt a child that was that emaciated. Before I left, I actually asked him if I could get him something. I thought he would ask for a toy, or candy, and he asked me for slippers, because he said that his feet were cold.
Cando cheguei á fermosa terra de Zimbabwe era difícil comprender que o 35 por cento da poboación fose seropositiva. Até que a xente me invitou á súa casa, non comecei a entender o impacto humano que causa a epidemia. Por exemplo, este é Herbert coa súa avoa. Cando o coñecín, estaba sentado no colo da avoa. Quedara orfo. Os pais morreran de sida, e a súa avoa coidou del ata que morreu, tamén de sida. Gustáballe sentar no colo dela porque dicía que, cando se deitaba na cama, tiña dor. Ao se levantar para facer té, púxomo a min no colo. Nunca sentira un cativo tan esquelético. Antes de marchar, pregunteille se quería que lle trouxese algo. Pensei que pediría un xoguete ou doces, pero pediume unhas pantuflas porque, dixo, tiña os pés fríos.
This is Joyce who's -- in this picture -- 21. Single mother, HIV positive. I photographed her before and after the birth of her beautiful baby girl, Issa. And I was last week walking on Lafayette Street in Manhattan and got a call from a woman who I didn't know, but she called to tell me that Joyce had passed away at the age of 23. Joyce's mother is now taking care of her daughter, like so many other Zimbabwean children who've been orphaned by the epidemic. So a few of the stories. With every picture, there are individuals who have full lives and stories that deserve to be told. All these pictures are from Zimbabwe.
Esta é Joyce. Nesta foto, tiña 21 anos. Nai solteira, seropositiva. Fotografeina antes e despois do nacemento da súa preciosa meniña, Issa. A semana pasada, andaba por Lafayette Street, en Manhattan. Recibín unha chamada dunha muller á que non coñecía. Chamoume para dicirme que Joyce falecera á idade de 23 anos. Agora, a nai de Joyce coida da súa neta, como moitos outros cativos de Zimbabwe que quedaron orfos por culpa da epidemia. Estas son algunhas das historias. En cada fotografía, hai individuos que teñen vidas completas e historias que merecen ser contadas. Estas fotos son todas de Zimbabwe.
Chris Anderson: Kirsten, will you just take one minute, just to tell your own story of how you got to Africa?
Chris Anderson: Podes dedicar un anaquiño a contarnos a historia de como acabaches en África?
Kirsten Ashburn: Mmm, gosh.
Kristen Ashburn: Vaia.
CA: Just --
CA: Só...
KA: Actually, I was working at the time, doing production for a fashion photographer. And I was constantly reading the New York Times, and stunned by the statistics, the numbers. It was just frightening. So I quit my job and decided that that's the subject that I wanted to tackle. And I first actually went to Botswana, where I spent a month -- this is in December 2000 -- then went to Zimbabwe for a month and a half, and then went back again this March 2002 for another month and a half in Zimbabwe.
KA: Pois daquela traballaba facendo produción para un fotógrafo de moda. Sempre lía o <i>New York Times</i> e quedaba pampa coas estatísticas e coas cifras. Metían medo. Así que deixei o traballo e decidín que ese era o tema que quería abordar. Primeiro, fun a Botswana, onde pasei un mes. Iso foi en decembro de 2000. Logo pasei un mes e medio en Zimbabwe, e, agora, volvín en marzo de 2002 outro mes e medio.
CA: That's an amazing story, thank you.
CA: É unha historia incrible. Grazas.
KB: Thanks for letting me show these.
KA: Grazas por deixarme amosar as fotos.