They Did Not Stop at Eboli: UNESCO and the Campaign Against Illiteracy in a Reportage by David "chim" Seymour and Carlo Levi

by Karin Priem (Editor), Giovanna Hendel (Editor), Carole Naggar (Editor)

The analysis of UNESCO's audio-visual archives for their digitization has brought to light a forgotten album of 38 contact sheets and accompanying texts by Magnum photographer, David "Chim" Seymour - a reportage made in 1950 for UNESCO on the fi ght against illiteracy in Italy's southern region of Calabria. A number of his photographs appeared in the March 1952 issue of UNESCO Courier in an article written by Carlo Levi, who had gained worldwide fame with his novel Christ Stopped at Eboli (1945).

L'analyse des archives audio-visuelles de l'UNESCO en vue de leur num�risation a permis de d�couvrir un album oubli� comprenant 38 planches-contact et des textes d'accompagnement du photographe de Magnum David � Chim � Seymour - un reportage r�alis� en 1950 pour l'UNESCO sur la bataille contre l'analphab�tisme en Calabre, une r�gion du sud de l'Italie. Un certain nombre de ses photographies ont �t� publi�es dans le num�ro de mars 1952 du Courrier de l'UNESCO avec un article de Carlo Levi, dont le roman Le Christ s'est arr�t� � Eboli (1945) lui avait valu une renomm�e internationale

303 pages, ebook

Published February 10, 2020

Reviews

[Ben Shneiderman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rediscovery of David Seymour's (CHIM) 1950 photo album documenting UNESCO's campaign against illiteracy launched an intense historical study, which led to this well-crafted book of photos and essays. Seymour's photos record the intense poverty and high illiteracy in southern Italy, in ways that produced worldwide interest. Carole Naggar's vivid commentary captures the story's power: "His photographs are not merely anthropological: they have a sense of depth and radiate poetry. They are deeply personal and imbued with empathy and emotion. All in all, Chim created a lyrical portrait of a fragile society on the brink of change." Karin Priem underlines the impact of the photos: "He acted as a sensitive and respectful observer ... giving us wonderful pictures of people and everyday life and landscapes in Calabria, ... education and learning activities, the role of women, the lack of infrastructure, and the peasants' fight against povery."
As Chim's nephew, I am grateful for this discovery, which enhances his reputation for humanistic photography that remains powerfully capable of inspiring empathy and action.