This picture by Sebastiao Salgado symbolizes a worker that is taking his working break in Oil Wells, Kuwait 1991. This oil worker is covered in oil from all the hard work he has done. What impacts me the most is his face. His face shows that his very tired but also very sad. It almost seems as he is worried about something. It could be that there is a lot of work to be done and the wages are very low and he has a family that he has to support. This is one Brazilian worker. Doing a little research I have encountered that Salgado takes these photographs of these workers that are poor and live in poor conditions and that are working hard. This worker seems that he is a strong worker, but if you look closely he is very fatigue. Sweat all over his face and clothes and also full of oil.
The Same Working Routine
The clock strikes five am it is time to wake up and put on the same clothing as yesterday. The same clothes drenched in sweat and oil. My wife has some coffee and bread waiting for me at the table. I tell her "Thank you honey you are so nice." I kissed her goodbye and tell her, "kiss the children goodbye for me when they are going to school." With her worried face she says "Yes, honey have a great day." I say to myself my wife says "have a great day", but what she doesn't know is that I don't want to be at work because I feel very fatigue. I know I should be strong for my family, but is just that I live the same life everyday and we become more poor by the day.
It is time for my break again, but I sit and look around at the other hard working men. I say to myself, "we all live by the same wages and we all look so fatigue and worried." My friend George approaches and says, "How am I doing"? I tell him, "same old same old." He pulls out a piece of his bread with butter and offers me some with coffee. I tell him, "Thanks my friend and accompanied him into eating. Break time is over and is back to the same routine. At five pm we are ready to go home, it is dark and the weather is humid, it had just rained and all men including me were drenched in sweat and oil. I head home and my wife has my dinner ready. Some potatoes and beef stew, I thanked her once again for all her understanding and attention. She tells me, "the kids are in bed and you should clean yourself and head over to bed and rest, the night is not so long and is back to the same routine the next day." I tell her, "yes honey I will be right over". I finished my dinner and sit at the table for a few minutes and think to myself this is the kind of life I am providing for my family, I need something better for them. So much as I think through the night I know the next morning will be back to the same routine and to wait until work wages goes up or our government wants to help us out to come out of this poverty. All of us men here are growing old and fatigue and depression takes over us because we want to provide the best for our families, but for the time being it is impossible and we have to wait for a better tomorrow.
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