Portrait project
Veteran Advocates
Veteran Advocates is the companion photography portrait project to the Afghan interpreter project, We Are Here, both completed with Prof Sara de Jong. These Afghanistan military veterans, who served for various NATO countries, amplified the voices of Afghan interpreters through media engagement, political lobbying, and legal challenges. They also provided direct support, including during the evacuation efforts in August 2021. The veteran advocates are portrayed as looking at themselves in the mirror (with their portraits facing a photographic negative); they were only able to face themselves when stepping out of anonymity and supporting their former Afghan colleagues. It is for this reason, that the veterans spoke up and put their heads above the parapet, that these portraits have not been given the same anonymising treatment as the Afghan interpreters featured in We Are Here.