“No single photograph alone can remove fear, hopelessness or poverty in the world. But the action of humanitarian organizations like Doctors Without Borders, coupled with photographs, campaigns and publications in the mainstream media, can bring about such change. It is the sum of work by many. A movement to provide information, documentation, testimonials and denunciation. It is sometimes difficult, but we must not lose faith in human empathy and resilience.” Sebastião Salgado.

The event will include attendance by Juan Carlos Tomasi, the book’s author; Paula Farías, former president of Doctors Without Borders, and Leopoldo Blume, the publishing firm’s director. Presented by Karim Hauser, Casa Árabe’s International Relations Coordinator.

Juan Carlos Tomasi, a Barcelona resident born in Madrid in 1959, is a journalist, photographer and multimedia producer. In 1992, after the Barcelona Olympic Games, his work took a 180-degree turn from sports journalism when he began to specialize in conflicts, testimonials and social criticism. From the victims of the Balkan war to the refugees in vast African camps, from the victims of natural disasters to the patients of long-forgotten diseases and those afflicted by pandemics, he has used his camera to shoot images all over the world and try to explain the other side of the story. He has worked as a director and producer for several international television channels and has done reports for media like TVE, TV3, El País, La Vanguardia, El Periódico, The Guardian and The Independent. Since 1995, he has been a member of the communications team at the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders.