The “Born-Free” Generation
visual essay In 1994, South Africa celebrated its first universal elections. The event marked the end of apartheid, the institutionalized system of racial segregation that characterized the country for almost 50 years. I was born in South Africa just one year prior to this historical event. As a consequence, I am a member of the […]
Good Earth: Exploring the Old Lead Belt
Lead mining in southeast Missouri is more than just an industry. It is an ingrained and defning aspect of the environment and community. In 1719, when French explorer Philip Francois Renault discovered high concentrations of lead in the region, he was unaware that he had stumbled across the largest lead deposit in the world. One […]
Jubilation During Trying Times: Carnival in Guinea-Bissau
~ an essay with photos ~ For decades, the small West African country of Guinea-Bissau has been plagued by coups, misrule, political instability and non-existent infrastructures. It is often described as a failed state, a narco-state, a volatile country, a collapsed economy. Since its independence from Portugal in 1974, none of its elected leaders have ever completed a […]
Haiti Photography Project: a quick seven day experiment
Technology for development projects (T4D) typically import expensive and unsustainable equipment when trying to improve a situation. The one laptop per child project is an example of a typical T4D kind of initiative. Although its laptops are, for the world of laptops, inexpensive, their cost is still prohibitive in the places where they are deployed. […]
Oradour-sur-Glane: Remembering Terror
A Visual Essay. Text and photos by Álvaro Minguito Palomares Oradour-sur-Glane is a symbol of the misfortunes of the Nation. It is important to preserve this memory, so that a similar tragedy never repeats itself. —Charles de Gaulle speech in Oradour-sur-Glane, March 1945 On June 10, 1944, only four days after Allied troops disembarked in […]