A picture is worth a thousand words. But that might not be true in the case of President Barack Obama's recent selfie at Nelson Mandela's memorial service in Johannesburg as explained by the photographer.
Roberto Schmidt, the AFP photographer who clicked Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt taking the selfie, said the trio was "perfectly natural" while taking the pic given the fact that the farewell ceremony had a festive mood.
In his blog, Schmidt described the event to be like a "carnival" and "not at all morbid," after the photo went viral and drew wide-spread criticism of the leaders. "Suddenly this woman pulled out her mobile phone and took a photo of herself smiling with Cameron and the U.S. president. I captured the scene reflexively. All around me in the stadium, South Africans were dancing, singing and laughing to honour their departed leader," Schmidt wrote.
"It was more like a carnival atmosphere, not at all morbid. The ceremony had already gone on for two hours and would last another two. The atmosphere was totally relaxed - I didn't see anything shocking in my viewfinder, president of the U.S. or not. We are in Africa."
Schmidt also said that the world leaders acted like "human beings, like me and you," and he would have done the same thing had he been in their place.
The photo also showed Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the States, with a rather serious face. Multiple reports suggest that she seemed unhappy with Obama's casual demeanor at such a serious event. But Schmidt clarified that moments before the selfie, Michelle was also seen joking with the gang.
"I later read on social media that Michelle Obama seemed to be rather peeved on seeing the Danish prime minister take the picture. But photos can lie. In reality, just a few seconds earlier the first lady was herself joking with those around her, Cameron and Schmidt included. Her stern look was captured by chance," Schmidt explained.
Meanwhile, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the Danish Prime Minister, defended the act saying it was not "inappropriate." "There was a sadness, but it was basically a festive event that also celebrated a man who has lived for 95 years and achieved so much in his life. There was dancing on the stands... And then we took a really fun selfie," she told the Danish daily Berlingske.
The photographer, Schmidt, reflected that it is unusual for people to see their leaders engage in light-hearted acts as they are mostly seen in controlled environments.
Maybe seeing should not be believing.
