In episode 151 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with photojournalist Hugh Kinsella-Cunningham.
He has covered conflict, health and social issues for The Sunday Times Magazine, The Guardian and National Geographic.
He works on assignment for organisations including Save the Children and the United Nations and his work has been recognised by Amnesty International and the Sony World Photography awards.
Hugh currently works in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country which has been synonymous with civil war and intense and brutal conflict for decades.
Hugh has worked in the country for four years and is an expert in the geopolitical landscape and the reality of what is going on.
In this episode we discuss his route into photography and photojournalism and why he made the choice to move to the DRC and cover this appalling conflict where war crimes like using rape as a weapon of war and the sexual abuse of girls, women and young boys have been committed.
We provide an informative look at the history of the country, the mental stress of doing his job of reporting on the wars in the country and hearing these heart-breaking and horrific stories from its victims.
For Hugh’s mental health, we discuss the isolation and loneliness that comes with travelling around the world for his work, not being able to vent to his friends and family about his work because of how detached and abstract it is from their lives and the anxiety he can feel before starting a particular story.
As always, #itsokaytovent
You can see more of Hugh’s work and find out more about him on his website here.
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