Western Representations of Eastern Hunger - A Content Analysis of Western Organizations’ Visual Representations of the Yemeni Famine on Facebook

This paper examines how Western non-governmental organizations represent the Yemeni famine and construct the victims hereof on social media. It analyzes thirty awareness videos on Facebook produced by five influential organizations; the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, Oxfam and the World Food Programme. The analysis works through visual content analysis, where codes and categories are based on Susan D. Moeller’s previous findings on famine representations. They are further reflected upon through a poststructuralist framework to examine binaries and localize hierarchical power structures. The analysis shows that the famine victim is not constructed as passive and apathic as hypothesized, however, colonial stereotypes persist throughout the awareness videos. The local Yemeni and foreign Westerner exist in a binary relationship, where the Yemeni is constructed as poor, unknowing and powerless in contrast to the resourceful, knowledgeable and powerful Westerner. Thus, the thesis concludes that Western NGOs reproduce colonial stereotypes and uphold a discursive power structure of Middle Eastern countries as inferior to the West