Canadian War Museum presents intimate, graphic portrait of Afghan conflict

November 1, 2012

Ottawa, Ontario, November 1, 2012 — The Canadian War Museum is proud to present Kandahar – The Fighting Season, a vivid portrait of Canada’s mission in Kandahar from 2006 to 2011, as captured in the images and commentary of acclaimed documentary photographer Louie Palu. 

A witness to some of the mission’s heaviest fighting, the Canadian photographer captured the intensity of the combat and the courage, fear and fatigue it engendered. The exhibition highlights the challenges faced by Canadian soldiers as they battled unfavourable terrain, extreme heat and insurgent fighters who were difficult to identify. The exhibition also provides glimpses of humanity amid the hardships of war. 

“This exhibition offers an extraordinary insight into the human dimension of the Afghanistan deployment,” said James Whitham, Director General of the Canadian War Museum. “Louie Palu has made an invaluable contribution to our understanding of this mission.”  

Kandahar – The Fighting Season features16 compelling photographs, most of them taken while Palu was on patrol with Canadian, American and Afghan soldiers or embedded with medevac helicopter teams. A “behind-the-lens” commentary by Palu accompanies each photo. 

One of the images captures a wide-eyed Afghan soldier looking towards his Canadian comrade during an intense fire-fight with insurgents. “I thought, this is what war is about,” says Palu’s commentary. “This is fear.” In another photo, a Canadian soldier sits exhausted after fighting off an insurgent ambush. “Everyone had been up for nearly 36 hours at that point,” says Palu. “We were all baking, frying in the heat. We were exhausted to the point of tears, and still had two days left in the operation.” 

Louie Palu spent five years in Afghanistan documenting the war. His work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications, including The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, Paris Match, Newsweek and Sunday Times Magazine.  

Canadian soldiers deployed to Kandahar Province from 2005 to 2011 as part of an international effort to support the government of Afghanistan. At any given time, approximately 2,000 Canadians patrolled throughout Kandahar, an area roughly the size of Nova Scotia. Since 2011, Canadian soldiers have deployed to Kabul to train Afghanistan’s national security forces. That ongoing mission is scheduled to end in 2014. 

Kandahar – The Fighting Season is presented courtesy of Kinsman Robinson Galleries, Toronto. It will be presented at the Museum until September 22, 2013. 

Related Event 

Lecture – Kandahar: Photographing the Frontline, by Louie Palu
Saturday, November 17 at 2 p.m. (English with simultaneous French translation)
Barney Danson Theatre
Free admission (ticket required).Tickets available at the Museum Box Office, or by telephone at 819-776-7000.

 Award-winning Canadian documentary photographer Louie Palu covered nearly every Canadian and American unit in Kandahar from 2007 to 2010, including over 150 medevac missions with the 101st Airborne. His stunning photographs of his time in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan can be seen in the Canadian War Museum’s exhibition Kandahar – The Fighting Season. Listen to Louie talk about these experiences, featuring images and video of Canadian Forces on the frontline.  

Warning: The presentation by Louie Palu contains material and subject matter that some visitors may find disturbing. 

The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national, and international dimensions.

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 Media contacts:

Yasmine Mingay
Manager, Public Affairs
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819-776-8608
yasmine.mingay@warmuseum.ca

Avra Gibbs Lamey
Communications and Media Relations Officer
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819-776-8607
avra.gibbs-lamey@warmuseum.ca

For more information, visit www.warmuseum.ca. Follow us at twitter.com/CanWarMuseum.