Photo: WORLD PRESS PHOTO 2021 / Courtesy
“A story of hope and love in the most difficult times.”
This is how Danish photographer Mads Nissen described the story behind the winning image of the World Press Photo 2021 .
The snapshot captures the moment in which the nurse Adriana Silva da Costa Souza puts her arms around Rosa Luzia Lunardi, from 85 years , who had five months without hugging anyone .
In Brazil, as in many other countries, nursing homes closed in March of 2020 to protect against the coronavirus pandemic, especially deadly for those over the age of 80.
After five months in which caregivers were instructed to minimize physical contact with the vulnerable, a simple invention at the Viva nursing home Bem in Sao Paulo allowed to reestablish the displays of affection.
They began to use “the hug curtain” , made of a flexible plastic that allowed caregivers and the elderly to hug each other again.
The photo was taken on August 5, 2020.
The independent jury selected her as the winner of the contest with the name The First Embrace (“The first hug”).
“The most extraordinary moment of our lives”
“When I heard about the crisis that was unleashed in Brazil and the poor leadership of President Bolsonaro, denying the virus from the beginning and calling it a ‘little flu’, I really felt the urge to do something about it, “Nissen commented on his photograph.
Since the pandemic began, the covid – 19 has left in Brazil 13 millions of infected and more than 350, 000 dead , making the South American nation the second country with the most deaths after the United States (559, 000), according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
During the crisis, the management of President Jair Bolsonaro has been widely criticized for opposing the application of measures more restrictive containment systems against the virus.
Kevin WY Lee, Photographer and Creative Director of the Jury at the edit of 2021, described the photo awarded as “an iconic image of the covid – 19 that immortalizes the most extraordinary moment of our lives. (In it) I read about vulnerability, loved ones, losses and separations, deaths, but, more importantly, also survival. Everything is in a single image. ”
The jury valued 73, 470 4 photos, 315 Photographers before selecting the winners in eight categories: general news, sports, environment and portraits.
“Yesterday I spoke with the two protagonists of the photo. They are both doing well and very happy with the award too, “Nissen told the BBC.
The photographer says that taking the photo was a” relief “in a moment of “sadness”.
“One might think what a hug matters, but it really moved everyone, including me”, confessed Nissen.
“This year has been very significant. And have chosen this image to represent this year and this crisis. It is a great honor ”, added the photojournalist.
After graduating from 2007 from the Danish School of Journalism, Nissen moved to Shanghai to document the social and human consequences of China’s historic economic rise.
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Now resides in Copenhagen, and since 2014 works as a photographer for the Danish newspaper Politiken .
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