Audio Slideshow: Nelson Mandela

In response to the news that Nelson Mandela has a lung infection, BBC linked to an audio slideshow made in 2010 about Mandela's life since his release from prison in 1990. The photographs are all quite famous, from various different news outlets including the AP, Getty Images, AFP, and Rex Features. The slideshow is accompanied by an amazing song by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and various radio broadcasts from different periods in Mandela's political career.
I always thought video was more compelling than still photo, for reasons that seemed obvious to me, but now I think my photojournalism professor (Professor Lippincott) may have it right. The photos, though frozen, are quite full of life. They are perhaps more telling than a video could ever be, since, having been shot at the right moment and from the right angle, allow the viewer to focus on the power behind the subject's facial expressions and body positioning. They have a composition, and force the viewer to reflect on a given moment for longer. I also think that since all the photos are so different, they hold the audience's attention for longer than a video, which has a lot of interviews that may bore viewers.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8508592.stm