The cynics are not fit for this job (2013) is a peculiar book that brings together three interviews conducted with the great master of modern journalism, Ryszard Kapuściński (Belarus, 1932 – 2007) that address the principles of journalistic work and answer backbone questions from the world of journalism. information and the media.
In the first chapter, the renowned journalist who writes about cinema, theater and culture, Maria Nadotti (Italy, 1949), guides the interview and questions the Polish author to talk about the profile of a good journalist, the motivations that are part of his integrity as a professional and the responsibility that comes with telling what happens from a distant place, where you are a foreigner and there are cultural differences; let us remember that he specialized in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In the second chapter, the Italian photographer and journalist, Andrea Semplici asks the questions and allows us to delve into Kapuściński’s experience to tell us about his experiences as a war correspondent, giving a lecture on what happened in the mid-20th century, a time in which the world underwent many changes, he observed firsthand the decolonization of Africa and the cold war. And in the third and last chapter, back, the writer Maria Nadotti appears to moderate the dialogue that Kapuściński held with the writer and art critic, John Berger (England, 1926 -2017), where they talk about “seeing, understanding and explaining ” the reality, the paradigm shifts in information, the peasants and finally, delve into the impact of journalism and its relationship with literature to tell a story and build the facts.
Kapuściński dedicated his life to his vocation by traveling, recounting and describing the reality in which he lived. He wrote more than 30 books -novel, chronicle, essay, poetry-. He was a born observer, a leading journalist in the contemporary world. And in this book, the title offers us a humanistic meaning for those who want to dedicate themselves to it professionally, a strong sense of ethical commitment and passion for telling what happens is required. The Polish author reveals his wisdom and emphasizes “being good and developing in ourselves the category of empathy”, “knowing how to listen to others”, because journalism is a collective voice that gives voice to those who do not have it, to the marginalized, to the silenced; there is a reason behind this search to communicate what is happening in humanity: to provoke a change.
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