From Actions to Words

8 December 2011

A multimedia exhibition looks back on 40 years of temoignage and medical action by Médecins Sans Frontières. Open to the public in Geneva until January 8, 2012.

This year marks two important anniversaries for Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF): it is the 40th anniversary of the organisation which was founded in 1971, as well as the 30th anniversary of the Swiss section. To mark the occasion, MSF has mounted a multimedia exhibition that looks back at the two main areas of the organisation’s work: temoignage and medical action. With the aim of improving the living conditions of the most disadvantaged populations, the MSF teams speak out against the unacceptable situations of violence that they witness first hand. The organisation also provides emergency medical assistance to those who only have limited access to healthcare, and this in more than 80 countries around the world.

A look back at MSF history

The story of MSF begins with the despair felt by a group of doctors who witnessed the silent drama unfolding in Biafra. Since then, the organisation has tirelessly spoken out about unacceptable humanitarian situations: In 1980, MSF revealed the misappropriation of international aid by the Vietnamese army in Cambodia. In 1999, in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, the MSF President, James Orbinski, denounced the indiscriminate bombing by Russian forces of the Chechen city of Grozny on live television. Earlier this year, MSF publicly condemned the terrible conditions in the Dadaab refugee camp, on the border between Somalia and Kenya.

The aim of MSF’s temoignage is to speak out against extreme humanitarian situations and to improve access to care for populations in distress. These public condemnations are always accompanied by ongoing medical aid. More than 1,2 million consultations were carried out and 63’500 people were admitted to MSF hospitals in 2010 alone.

The exhibition – made possible thanks to the support of Swatch Group – takes place at La Cité du Temps, on Pont de la Machine, in the centre of Geneva. Through this video and photo installation showing a montage of pictures and archive footage visitors can discover four decades of the organisation’s history. Part of the exhibition also talks about MSF’s present-day work, with a focus on its projects in Dadaab, Kenya and Somalia. This exhibition is a way of remembering the silent victims of the tragedies MSF has encountered, as well as paying homage to those who, like MSF, have taken action and spoken out to help the most vulnerable.