Triage and An Imperfect Offering

One of my idols is Dr. James Orbinski. He is an incredible human being having taken part in several of Medicines Sans Frontiers missions in some of the most horrible conditions imaginable. Recently, he came out with both a book and a documentary about the experiences he has endured and the sense of understanding he has tried to find. I picked up my copy of the book, An Imperfect Offering, but haven't yet been able to crack it open. It is next on my list to read, however.



I also came across the website for the documentary, Triage, which has the following synopsis.

"Leaving his young family behind in Toronto, Canada-where he's a university professor and doctor-Orbinski returns to Africa, revisiting the past and engaging with the present. He hopes that here, in the place where he witnessed humanity literally torn apart, he can rediscover the true heart of humanitarianism.

In Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma, Patrick Reed's feature-length documentary, Orbinski travels to war-torn Somalia, the first place he was posted with MSF in 1992; then to Rwanda, where he was MSF Head of Mission during the 1994 genocide. Finally he goes to Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, where it seems humanitarian dreams go to die.

Filmed in an intense vérité style, Triage presents a unique view of the world through the penetrating eyes of Orbinski. He refuses to turn away when confronting troubling memories or realizing disturbing truths and, in the most unlikely of places, he finds where bonds of solidarity are forged and human spirits remain unbroken.

Orbinski has seen lives saved and lives lost and has personally witnessed a world gone astray. In Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma, he searches for a new path and invites the viewer to follow."

Check out the website for Triage to check out the trailer for the film.