Some photos become legendary. This is particularly the case of the iconic image of Marilyn Monroe holding her white dress as she flies away under the effect of a current of air, or that of Jacques Chirac cheating on the metro. But if there is one that truly left its mark on the collective memory, transcending generations to the point that everyone saw it without remembering exactly when, it was the cover of National Geographic from July 1985: The Afghan Girl with Eyes green, immortalized by the American photographer Steve McCurry.
Captured in the heart of the conflict between the USSR and Afghanistan, on Pakistani soil, the photo features Sharbat Gula, a 12-year-old girl whose piercing gaze and strikingly colored eyes have fascinated the world entire. A true modern-day Mona Lisa. She quickly became the symbol of people displaced by wars and in 2002, National Geographic decided to mount an expedition to find her. What they will discover bears witness to the brutality of life for women in war-torn countries. Indeed, Sharbat Gula was not spared from the ravages of the conflict.
Married at 13, she moved through numerous refugee camps throughout the Middle East, eventually establishing her home and life in Pakistan. There, she gave birth to six children, one of whom unfortunately died. In 2016, she lost her husband who had contracted hepatitis C, to which she herself (…)
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