In this part, I’m going to talk about the pictures I took. A picture can say a lot, but sometimes there’s more to the story behind it that you might not notice. Also, my version of the story might be different from yours. It is a surprise goal in South Sudan.
Where Was This Photo Taken?
This picture was taken in Juba, which is the main city of South Sudan. I don’t exactly remember the exact spot because it was in early 2020 and I didn’t use my maps that day.
How Was the Picture Taken?
I was driving around with my friend William, who works for the United Nations (UN). He has a car from the UN, and he wanted to show me around Juba and nearby places he liked.
Taking pictures wasn’t really allowed, but I managed to secretly take some with my phone while we drove through the city. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was taking pictures of. I saw people playing football, and I just didn’t want to forget that moment.
Interestingly, I didn’t plan for the picture to turn out well. But later, when I looked at the photos, I realized I captured the exact moment when a team scored a goal. They were celebrating, and you could see the goalkeeper looking frustrated on the ground. There was nobody blocking my view, so I could see everything clearly.
What’s the Story Behind It?
Think about South Sudan, a place filled with chaos due to a long civil war. Despite that, the picture shows that people still come together to have fun, like playing football. The local people don’t want war or fighting, but they don’t have the power to decide. They’ve gotten used to this difficult situation, which is sad but true.
When you’ve been living with conflict for a long time, it starts to seem normal. It’s like when you think about happy kids in Syria who have only known war. In tough times, you try to find things that make life a bit better. Even though life is hard, the message from the goalkeeper’s expression is important. Even when things are tough, the game isn’t finished – just like life. So, keep going, look for hope wherever you can find it, and keep fighting.
Click for some stories from that trip
