October 5, 2014--I was walking towards the main tram stop to get home when I spotted a group of people huddled around a young guy who was singing on the sidewalk. As I approached them. the scene figured itself before me. The ones sitting were homeless people. I knew this because their spot is usually where homeless people gather and I recognized one of them as George (a flute-player who also owns a dog). I made known my presence and made a signal if it was okay to record them in my camera. They smiled and nodded as I saw the camera so I took it as a sign of consent. Of the homeless people gathered there, I was interested to notice that there was one Asian man joined with them. He could be Vietnamese because there is a signifcant population of Vietnamese in Brno and if he is, I wonder how he ended up homeless because Asians tend to form communities in the place of migration. That he is among Europeans gives a multicultural dimension even in being homeless. When the guy finished his singing, he introduced himself as Stephan. “My name in Czech is Stefan, in English, Steve, and in Italian, Luis.” He said his mother is Czech and his father is Slovenian. I said that it was a good thing that he was singing for the homeless people. He replied that he was performing for them because they were his friends. He was then trying to say something to me but I couldnt get it so he just motioned with his hands to follow him. We walked a few meters towards the road and there before us was a drunk man with struggling knees and a bleeding temple. He was trying to get up but everytime his legs would fail him and he would shrink to the ground. Stephan gestured if I had something which we could wrap to the drunken mans head but I had none. Then he asked me if I had a phone so I gave it to him and he dialled what seemed to be an emergency service number. He talked with the operator for a short while but apparently the situation wasnt considered an emergency. On the other side of the road, the people were getting curious and luckily, one woman had a roll of bandage so she reached it out and Stephan together with George and another homeless woman patched up the poor mans head. While they were at it, I was trying to help carry the bag the drunk man had with him but he wouldnt release it with his hands so I just stood there and thought of what to do.With their permission (except the drunk mans), I took a photo because the scene was so humanistic that it just had to be documented. I was privileged to witness those events because we only see them on television and they are more often staged performances by celebrities rather than authentic practices. In the case of Stefan, could we truly say that his peformance was out of genuine concern or was it also partly, for public exposure? He did say that he joined a talent show and he has a facebook page named Stefan Kadlec. Notwithstanding this, I am inclinced to believe that his was not merely a constructed publicity stint. Even though, there were no cameras recording him prior to my entrance, and even though most people were just passing by, his singing seemed to be focused for the homeless people. And when he said that George was his friend, it looked to be true because after talking with me, he and George went to some place together. The point is that he sang for the homeless in a cold afternoon. Some people would scorn them instead and blame them for their misfortune; some would give them a fleeting glance of sympathy and then pass by; but with Stefan, he offered a part of himself when others wouldnt. And while homeless people are commonly dismissed as drug users, George and the homeless woman showed that there still remains a patch of altruism even in their desperate condition. On my part as a documenter, I was torn between loaded questions. One of which was: Was it right that I took a video of the homeless people, knowing that the camera is a material object which exemplifies the disenfranchised status which they are in? As they were looking at the camera, did they feel ever more pain that other people would have this object while on the other hand, their only main concern is what to eat for the next day?
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 00:17:02 +0000
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