Archives - Program 2020

About Selfish: images of humanitarianism, from Geneva to the "field"

Selfish gives a voice to humanitarians, used to extreme missions but who rarely venture into the realm of intimacy. The film raises fascinating questions: isn't egoism a requisite to become a humanitarian? What room is left for doubt when one decides to leave on mission? Why is the perception of this profession so different from that of more traditional professions? What are the mysterious connections between the peaceful City of Geneva and such a violent universe? To what extent does the image conveyed by humanitarians inherit a colonial or even missionary dimension?

Humanitarian Work

Wednesday 11 March

18:30

Musée International de la Croix Rouge et du Croissant Rouge

Co-presented with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, Doctors Without Borders and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Speakers

Stéphane Santini Filmmaker

Géraldine André Filmmaker

Davide Rodogno International History Professor, Graduate Institute

Françoise Duroch Manager of the Research Unit on Humanitarian Stakes and Practices (UREPH), Doctors Without Borders

Moderated by

Xavier Colin Founder of GEOPOLITIS on RTS and TV5MONDE, associate fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP)

This debat is preceded by the movie:

Thematic film

Selfish

By Géraldine André & Stéphane Santini

War, emergencies, pandemics or famine: all over the world, men and women involved in humanitarian work are used to the most extreme and challenging missions and terrains. On the other hand, very few humanitarian workers venture into the more intimate terrain. Forty men and women working in the field and their loved ones have accepted to speak freely about the risks and commitments involved, about their first experiences, but also about helplessness, relationships, passion, homecoming and the unspeakable.