CPOY

CPOY 68 Documentary Bronze: Punished by the Gods

A long-form photographic essay or extended narrative story which portrays important contemporary concerns or social issues. To encourage long-term projects, images from previous year’s work may be included, provided none of them have previously won a CPOY award.

Caption
Slide 12 of 12
April 23, 2013
Indonesien, Nord-Bali, 18. April 2013 - Ketut is sitting on a bamboo lounger at the edge of the village, he sits there for 19 years. Previously Ketut was a construction worker once, he left his hut in the morning, in the evening he returned. A big man with strong hands, he brought money, he fed the family. Sometimes, his nephew remembers, Ketut took the children from the village to the waterfall, where they jumped from the rocks. “Ketut was the cleverest of all,” said the nephew. “I wanted to be like him.” Then Ketut was crazy. Nobody knows how it happened, Ketut appeared one night with a knife in the hand at the hut of his brother. Maybe he wanted to kill him. From that day on Ketut began to rage, and thus would not stop. The villagers were afraid. One night, they overpowered him, and put a chain around his foot. since then they have not dared to loosen this chain. Now they pass by Ketut every day . They give him enough to eat and drink water so he can wash himself and when he asks often enough, they throw him out of cigarettes.There are children in the village who have never seen Ketut differently . The villagers say, it grieves them. They worry about it, they have given up on him anyway. Ketut has a dull glance. On his bunk is blood of his anus because he has hemorrhoids.He tugs at his hair. On many days, his thinking is clear. Ketut says he does not know why his relatives chained him. He was a few times in psychiatry in Bangli, it has not helped him. If the employees want to pick him up once every few years, he rears up, trying to beat them. Ketut says: “I have nothing more to wish for my life.”He knows that the family will chained him again to he returns from the hospital . He is similar to the broken cart, standing near his camp. The sight disturbs people though if they pass it, but they do not know how to fix it.At least he is in good physical condition. “He was lucky,” says Suryani.
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