Giles Duley hits Kickstarter target for his ambitious Legacy of War project

A few months ago I had a beer with Giles Duley and conversation turned to what he was up to work-wise. He was relaxed, breezy even, when he told me he was hoping to launch a multi-faceted, multi-platform exploration of the ongoing effects of conflicts after they’ve supposedly ended. It sounded insanely ambitious; it also made whatever my professional plans were at the time seem pathetically puny. But on Friday, Giles’ project Legacy of War became a reality as it reached its £20,000 Kickstarter goal.

“War affects people decades after the conflict ends,” Giles explains in the Kickstarter video. “A war doesn’t end when a peace treaty is signed.” For example 120,000 people have been injured since the official end of the Vietnam War 40 years ago next month.

“I want to try and bring people together just to think about what war really means and what the long-term consequences are,” he adds. The project will look at the after-effects of war in Angola, the UK, Columbia, Laos, Vietnam, Lebanon, Egypt, the USA, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, covering topics including disability, rehabilitation of former child soldiers, sexual violence and long term refugees.

It will take the form of photographic series, poetry and prose by people from the affected regions, a book and a programme of school visits. It’s a subject particularly close to Giles’ heart, as he lost both legs and an arm after stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afhghanistan four years ago.

Currently in Cambodia, he was clearly delighted to reach the crowdfunding target. “A massive thank you to every backer,” he wrote. “I’m overwhelmed by your support for a project that means so much to me.

“Yesterday I met Vanthy Fo, forced to fight with the Khmer Rouge as a child, he returned to his home village when the fighting was over. A few years ago, when farming, he accidentally detonated a cluster-munition, losing both arms. He now struggles to provide for his family, all of their lives shaped by a conflict years after it finished.

“There couldn’t be a better illustration of what Legacy of War means, and why collecting and sharing these stories is so important.”

With 16 days to go still, Giles is hopeful now that he’ll be able to expand the scope of the project with extra backing – visit the Kickstarter page to find out more and donate.