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more noise (african style)

gallery7

New member
this was all work from an assignment. the assignment was focused on the failing judicial and prison system and it was bad in a big way.

truth be told it was bad all over. i was in the delta region laying some groundwork for a return trip later in the year. it is virtually impossible to photograph there without the blessing of the someone... local militants etc. i have managed to secure that and a guarantee of safe passage so i am busy pitching right now.

i will do my best to not climb to high on the soap box but it was a bad situation. in my opinion the country is as close as one will ever see to all out disintegration before it actually occurs. the infrastructure has totally and completely collapsed. the npf (police) and sss (security forces) act with little to no reproach. the police are often not paid and resort to extortion to pay the bills. the propaganda coming out of the mostly government owned media outlets is that groups like M.E.N.D are terrorists and there is quite a bit of "tribal lines" being drawn. life expectancy hovers somewhere around 45-47 and the country has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. the "official" unemployment rate is under 10% but most knowledgeable folks laugh at that number and upwards of 50-60% seems more likely. in the north the poverty is shocking. there are now very radical islamic movements operating there including the taliban. sharia law prevails in much of the northern states. the country is a petri dish for growing radicalism.

all of this is truly maddening as nigeria sits atop one of the largest crude oil deposits in the world!?! the government has allowed all other industry and agriculture to collapse in a myopic attempt to steal as much money from the countries oil wealth as possible. everywhere you go people are very, very angry. the delta is quickly becoming an environmental disaster with millions of very poor people living amongst the oil spills and gas flares.

anyhow, i appreciate everyones interest and willingness to listen. i would love to post more if the work however other folks have dibs. i am planning to return to the nigeria delta region within the year and will keep everyone abreast. this is a situation that in my opinion cannot be ignored.
 

smokysun

New member
john,
i don't know if you're interested, but i'd send this work to someone like alex majoli at magnum. seems to me it's right up their alley. and an invitation to join magnum would be a feather in your cap, whether or not you wanted it. this is perfect magnum reporting and your energy, willing to take risks, and dedication their style. also the story could be a big one. congrats.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

ps. at thirteen i wanted to be a journalist. quickly realized i was too private a person and lacked the people chops. your story confirms it.
 

gallery7

New member
i am truly flattered by your comments my friend. truth be told, and without getting to ahead of myself, agency representation has become a very serious priority for me this year. i have all but ceased the wire service and press work to concentrate solely on long term, documentary type projects and really need to make up a lot of the lost income.

i cannot explain how deeply committed i feel about properly representing the situation over there. it seems as though i must have "nerves of steel" however i assure you fear is a constant battle for me. i find it very, very difficult to deal with but somehow, taking it one hour at a time, i manage to somehow convince myself (and others) that i am not terrified. barely. the return trip will be a real test of nerves as i will spend the entire time in the delta.

thank you so much for the props and i promise to keep you up to date on how the search for an agency unfolds!
 

gallery7

New member
"ps. at thirteen i wanted to be a journalist. quickly realized i was too private a person and lacked the people chops. your story confirms it."

it's funny you should say that as people who know me well will tell you i am insanely private and very, very thin on conversation. people fascinate me though. always have.
 

smokysun

New member
i'm sure you know the video 'war photographer' but if you don't, highly recommended:
http://www.amazon.com/War-Photograp...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1246235060&sr=8-1

and alex majoli famous partly for using an olympus 5050 point and shoot. check him out on the magnum site. i'd suggest contacting a lot of magnum photogs and see if you can get an invitation.

this book by majoli the most moving b&w book i have:

http://www.amazon.com/Alex-Majoli-L...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246235197&sr=8-1


keep us posted.
wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 

gallery7

New member
i have war photographer on my laptop and have spent many a night in the middle of nowhere swattin mosquito's and watching it.

i am a big fan of the new vanguard at magnum. majoli, pellegrin, anderson etc. honestly it is funny you should mentioned magnum as it is my singular ambition as of late. i have missed submissions for 2009 sadly (june cutoff) but will be gunning for it next year.

i have long been a big admirer of the collective/agency itself as they have refused to draw a line in the sand as to what photography is or can be. they are always going out of their realm to select new members who challenge what image making is. it would have been easy for them to say bresson or cappa was it and that was their identity however they have continually sought new ideas and pushed the boundaries.

larry towell lives just up the road from me (and was a major influence for a long time) so maybe i will make some contact. either way my portfolio will be in NY next year at this time.

thank you for the words of encouragement wayne and it is a real gift to hear them! every once in a while folks inadvertently give me these "nudges" in the right direction and i am always grateful.
 
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