Artist Derrick Higgin's image of an AIDS orphan was intriguing because it differs from the usual depictions of African children solely as objects of pity and despair. I showed the image to a number of journalism students for their reaction without giving them any background. 
“Who is this?” I asked them. Many said it was an African though they could not clearly say why. Some said the image was ambiguous, at points confusing. Is this a boy or girl? There are contradictions here: The soft focus background with bright color palette, the pose is self assured, confident, even jaunty, but the tattered clothes suggest poverty and abandonment. The face seems serene or wise beyond the years of the subject. And what’s up with that raincoat with a plastic bottle stuck in the pocket? 
The image was created from a photo taken by Rachel Robinson, who was a volunteer with the organization Ministry of Hope. Her image is included below. Both the photo and the rendering raise a question that often confounds visitors from more developed countries: How do the orphans of Malawi simultaneously wear a mantle of deprivation and dignity?

Rachel Robinson's photo