Amateur Photographer – 09 August 2019

thecapitalcityofBelarus.I was
shootinga reportageonmalelife
expectancy– themendienearly
12 yearsbeforethewomen.About
70%oftheradioactivefalloutfrom
theChernobyldisasterlandedin
Belarus,heavilycontaminatinga
quarterofthecountry,a fifthofits
agriculturallandandaffectingat
least7 million(ofaround 10 million)
people.Chernobyl’snuclearpower
plantlaylessthan4 milesfromthe
borderofBelarus.Thejournalist
andI lockedeyes;webothagreed
wehadtogoandscrambledontoa
trainheading 300 kilometressouth.
Thetownwealightedatwas
primitive.Patched-upcarswere
filledwithfuelfromplastic
containers.Platesofmushroom

stroganoffweredevouredfeverishly

fromplasticplates(inanareawhere

radiationwasprevalent,it seemed

absurdtoeata soil-basedfungus,

howeverdeliciousa foodsource).

Wehireda localtodriveustothe

edgeoftheChernobylExclusion

Zone(CEZ),anareaof

approximately2,600km^2

immediatelysurroundingthe

nuclearpowerplantwhere

radioactivecontaminationfrom

nuclearfalloutis highestandaccess

andinhabitationarerestricted.

Belarushasmoreterritoryclassed

asa ‘deadzone’asa resultofthe

catastrophethantheUkraine.The

countryhastwoexclusionzones:

oneinthesouthneartheUkrainian

border,andoneintheeastnearthe

Russianborder.Thedrivetook

usthrougha dampflatland

ofmarshes,meadows,forest,

abandonedfarmsandthe

occasionalhorse-drawncart.The

soldiersattheredfencethatmarked

theedgeposedforthecamerawith

guarddogsandsmiles.If we’dfelt

inclinedtopassthrough,fora few

roubles,wethinkthey’dhaveletus.

Therewerefewerthan 20 people

ontheflighthome.Myself,the

journalistanda dozen‘childrenof

Chernobyl’withtheircarers.The

childrenhadsufferedterribly,their

bodiesevidentlyhandicapped.The

airstewardshadtoliftthedrinks

trolleyovergiantrucksin

theairplanecarpet.Faded

wallpaperpeeledaroundthe

Above:School,

VillageofShipelicki.

April 1995

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© DAVID MCMILL AN