The photograph of a starving child accompanied by a nearby vulture brought Kevin Carter the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. This image of the 1993 Sudan famine garnered global attention and intense scrutiny regarding the role of the witness. It remained the defining, if controversial, achievement of his career as a South African journalist and war photographer.
Military Service and Career Transition
Born in Johannesburg in 1960, Carter grew up during the height of apartheid. After abandoning pharmacy studies, he served in the Air Force to avoid infantry duty. During his service, an incident involving the mistreatment of a mess-hall waiter led to a physical altercation and a period absent without leave. In 1983, after witnessing the Church Street bombing in Pretoria, he shifted his focus toward photojournalism.
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Carter began his professional path as a weekend sports photographer for the Johannesburg Sunday Express. By 1984, he joined the Johannesburg Star to document the escalating violence of the apartheid era. He became the first photographer to capture a public necklacing execution, an experience he later described as a difficult but necessary act of witnessing the horrors of his environment.
The Sudan Famine and The Bang-Bang Club
As a member of the Bang-Bang Club, a group of photographers covering the transition to democracy in South Africa, Carter sought to expand his freelance work internationally. In 1993, he traveled to Sudan with colleague João Silva to document the famine facilitated by the UN Operation Lifeline Sudan. While embedded with rebels, he captured the image of a child collapsing near a vulture in Ayod.
Final Assignments and Death
In March 1994, shortly before the South African elections, Carter photographed three members of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging killed during an invasion of Bophuthatswana. This work received widespread international publication. However, the emotional toll of his experiences—including the death of colleague Ken Oosterbroek—led to profound personal distress. On 27 July 1994, at age 33, Carter died by suicide in Johannesburg.
Fast facts
- Born: 1960, Johannesburg
- Died: 1994, Johannesburg
- Notable work: The vulture and the little girl
- Award: 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography
- Military service: South African Air Force
- Professional affiliation: Bang-Bang Club
Questions readers ask
What happened to the child in the famous photograph?
The child was a boy named Kong Nyong, who was treated at a UN food aid station. He later died of fevers in 2007.
What was the cause of Kevin Carter's death?
He died by suicide via carbon monoxide poisoning in 1994.
