Australian photojournalist John Rodsted has started his speaking tour around New Zealand with public talks in Christchurch (1 Nov.) and Dunedin (2 Nov.). Here’s a note by Fiona McAlister, NZ CMC intern.

Rodsted has spent the past twenty two years travelling in the most conflict-stricken areas of the world, and recording evidence of the horrific legacy of war. Those who attended appreciated Rodsted’s first hand account of the horrific impacts cluster munitions, and the question and answer sessions that followed proved interesting and fruitful.

Rodsted’s work focuses on the way conflict affects civilians attempting to reconstruct their lives after a war, not on the warring parties: “It’s not a comment on whether war is right or wrong” he says “but on reducing the legacy for ordinary people.” Because of the prolific use of landmines and cluster bombs, refugees returning to their homes, their orchards, and their crops after a war are often faced with deadly explosive remnants of war, which are often hidden. “Ordinary people are far safer during a war than when the war ends.” Twenty-two countries have a legacy created by cluster bombs, which are scattered throughout the countryside, live and ready to explode if disturbed, be that by a farmer or a curious child.

Before we can focus on the traditional elements of development, Rodsted argues, such as ensuring adequate food and clean water, health care and education, we must first ensure that an area is safe for people to return to. “Clearance is the first pillar of rehabilitation.” Yet clearing the countryside of cluster bombs is not an easy task. They are small – smaller than the palm of your hand - and so unstable that the only way to get rid of them is to blow them up, whether they are in peoples’ houses or farms. Because they don’t want to lose their homes, people stop telling the clearance teams where they are, and risk losing their own lives. The job of clearing is a dangerous one – 38 men working to clear cluster bombs dropped on Lebanon last year have been killed.

Rodsted believes that it is important to beat the military arguments for retaining these weapons before a successful treaty can be negotiated. It is often claimed that cluster munitions with self-destruct mechanisms overcome the problem of legacy. Rodsted’s work in Lebanon last year, however, showed that the M85, a so-called ‘smart’ bomb, had failure rates of 25 to 40%.

Rodsted challenges us to form an opinion and make it heard. We are fortunate to live in a democracy, and we should make sure elected politicians work for us: “If they think we don’t care, they won’t care.” He believes that the Wellington Conference on Cluster Munitions to be held next February is a great opportunity for New Zealanders to show their support for the campaign to rid the world of these insidious weapons.

Rodsted is grateful to the CMC members that hosted his stay in Christchurch (esp. Christian World Service and the Peace Foundation Disarmament and Security Center) and Dunedin (Quaker house). Our appreciation to Oxfam NZ’s cluster munitions intern Fiona McAlister for support provided to Rodsted’s speaking tour.

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