A group of Pakistani artists are hoping to generate “empathy” among US drone operators by placing giant posters of children meant to be seen from the air in the country’s troubled tribal regions.
The project, titled #NotABugSplat, has released a photograph, itself taken from the air with the use of a mini-helicopter drone, of a poster laid out in a field that shows the face of a girl who lost both her parents in one of the controversial strikes in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Bug splat” is said to be a term used by drone pilots based in the US to refer to how victims look when seen through video cameras.
“We tried to replicate as much as we could what a camera from above will see looking down,” said one of the artists of the collective, who did not wish to be named individually.
“You will see how tiny people are and they look like little bugs, we wanted to highlight the distance between what a human being looks like when they are just a little dot versus a big face.
“One hope is that it will create some empathy and introspection.”
The Pakistani collective was set up with the help of French street artist JR, who plans to unveil portraits from around the world at the Pantheon in Paris as part of a project called “Inside Out”.
The artists wanted to begin their project last year in the tribal region of North Waziristan, but were dissuaded by Shahzad Akbar, a lawyer who represents the relatives of drone victims, because of the dangers.
Akbar, who founded the non-profit Foundation for Human Rights, instead distributed the posters to residents.
“(They) put them on the roof so that when the drones are flying, the Americans will see these pictures of children … People like it because it’s a good waterproofing as well,” he said.
The last drone attack occurred on December 26, 2013, killing three suspected insurgents.
Reports in the US media have suggested the drone strikes have been temporarily halted since then to provide the Pakistani government a chance to have talks with Taliban aimed at ending their seven-year insurgency.
The talks began in February and a tentative ceasefire has been in place since March.
Officially, Pakistan condemns the drone campaign as counterproductive and a violation of sovereignty.
But, according to numerous leaked documents, it has in the past privately condoned their use.
This is pathetic state of affairs that govt and army who are leaches and a burden cannot protect the citizen of this country and claim to be on the highest level of morality and bravery.
Pakistan Government has no shame. It cannot protect Pakistan Airspace against invasion by other countries. Just think what the USA government would do if another country invaded USA airspace and Killed USA citizens. Shame on you Pakistan. That is why you will continue to be a failed state. The worst in the world.
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