“Tsunami’s Footprint” appears at photo exhibit

The photo exhibit “Tsunami’s Footprint” by Iranian photojournalist Afshin Valinejad, featuring the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis of Japan, is on display at the café gallery of the Iranian Artists Forum in Tehran. The exhibit displaying a selection of 20 photos was inaugurated Wednesday in the presence of Majid Sarsangi, director of the Iranian Artists Forum and Nozomu Takaoka, the Japanese Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran. A deadly 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit Japan on March 1, 2011. The powerful quake triggered a devastating tsunami along Japan’s eastern coast, killing over ten thousand people and injuring thousands more. The earthquake caused the formation of 30-foot walls of water that swept across rice fields, engulfed entire towns, dragged houses onto highways, and tossed cars and boats like toys. Some waves reached six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan’s east coast. Valinejad was an expert at the Persian section of NHK Radio Japan for eight years. He is a freelance photojournalist who chose to help the tsunami victims handing out goods and supplies of any kind to the needy people. He is known as an Iranian angel in Japan’s tsunami. He says he’s just a porter who has been given the honor to distribute goods to people in need. “I’ve always believed that when you feel something in your heart and you want to do it, you don’t look for plans or feel that you have to organize everything,” he has once said. “I was sure we’d be able to do some good. I had no doubt.” The exhibit will be running until July 22 at the gallery inside the Iranian Artists Forum located on Musavi St., Taleqani Ave. Photo: Iranian photojournalist Afshin Valinejad (R) explains his exhibit “Tsunami’s Footprint” to IAF Director Majid Sarsangi (C) and Japanese Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran Nozomu Takaoka (L) at the café gallery of the Iranian Artists Forum on July 6, 2011. From / Tehran Times