Culture

The Himbas belong to one of the last nomadic tribes in the world. They life in the northern parts of Namibia.

The Himbas belong to one of the last nomadic tribes in the world. They life in the northern parts of Namibia.

The salt workers in the Salina de Maras, Cusco region, Peru work up to 16 hours a day. Very often their children are with them. In this image you see a young boy strolling through the salt terraces.

Displayed, you can see a student writing with his foot, his arms are not functioning due to a severe physical handicap. His name is Oini. For his classmates, it is part of daily life sitting next to a student in a wheelchair with no arms. But he is not reduced to his incapabilities rather then to his joyfulness and personal way to help others with their homework. One scene struck me the most. The child’s neighbor asked Oini for an eraser and the Oini gave it to him with his foot. After the other student was finished he gave back the eraser by thoughtfully placing it in between the child’s toes. The school by Anna Mollel gives children with disabilities, HIV infections and children from very poor rural areas hope and access to education. The majority of the children in the school belong to the Maasai tribe, where it is believed that handicapped children are somehow bewitched. It is common, that these children with a physical or mental handicap are abandoned and cut off any emotional support. Most of the time, the children are left out in the wilderness to die. In my experience, I realized this school was unlike any other. It is an exceptional organization and for a good number of children, their only hope for a normal life with people to care for them in a loving, emotional and supportive way, is Anna. Education is the fundamental base to a person’s life, everyone deserves a chance to learn.No child in the world should suffer from cultural shortcomings, wars or other crisis.

During a visit of a local market in Cusco, Peru, I came across one particular beautiful market in Chinchero. Immediately I saw this gorgeous woman and asked if I can portrait her. Reluctantly she said yes. After talking to her, she said she had to go up on the mountain for about 2,5 hours. Every time the Chinchero market is open, she comes down, sells her vegetables and goes up again.

Fernandina lives with her mother in Puno, Peru. Everyday she commutes with her mum to the floating islands made out of famous Totora reeds. They are living two lives. One being citizen in a fast moving and changing world on the mainland, and the other one is being part of the Uros. A tribe that is believed to be descendants from the earliest inhabitants of the lake Titicaca. Common knowledge states that the Uros built those floating islands to escape the war against Incas. Today the Uros are there for tourists. To show them around and sing some songs. The time where the indigenous Titicaca inhabitants lived on the lake, is long gone. And so Fernandina lives her two lives.

I portrait this humble man during the crossing of Isla del Sol, Bolivia. His face is very distinctive and so is his story. He lived on the small island all his life, sometimes commuting to the main land.

The expression of this woman stunned me the most. After paying her in sweets I was allowed to portrait her. Although I do not know her story, I know that it goes back to a time, where time itself did not matter.

Women are the backbone of every society. Give them the power and everybody will benefit. Unfortunately it is still a long way until they get out of suppression by man.In this photo you can see people of the Maasai tribe singing and welcoming us. I positioned myself on the edge of the line to get a clear visual over the colorful dressed Maasai men and women. One woman looked towards me. The expression on her face was sending a strong message.

Displayed, you can see colorful women of the Maasai tribe next to each other. A baby girl raced into the picture and stood in front of her mother. I chose to cut off the faces of the Maasai women in the picture and to concentrate on the little girl. The future of an entire culture.Maasai women live under a very strict and ruled society by men. A patriarchate if you will. Most of the women never heard the word equality or women rights. Instead, they raise their kids, build their own houses and go for firewood and water every day. Some girls are still genital mutilated, risking infection, pain and sometimes death at a very early children’s age. Most of the time it’s their own mothers or grandmothers who want that inhumane procedure done. They don´t know any other way, yet. Girls are given at an age of 12 to a much older man. They will give birth under difficult circumstances at a very young age. As educational pressure and development in rural areas rise, more and more women hopefully will have the chance to access education, and the opportunity to make their own choices. It will be an opportunity for countries and societies once women will get more power. Research has shown that women are the backbone of each and every society. The birthrate will drop, fewer kids will get a better education and access to available food. Further, women household more resourceful than men.Overall it’s a fine line to keep the last living cultures independently when inhumane methods are taking place.For the picture, I asked the women to line up for me and more and more joined the scene.

After spending a couple of days in close proximity to the Maasai people I approached the Maasai chief and asked for permission to photograph them. It was a rainy and overcast afternoon. Resulting in perfect conditions to bring out the beautiful colored robes of the Maasai. This particular village is known to be visited by tourists on a regular basis. However, the Maasai keep their traditions alive and live in their traditional houses with their wifes, kids, and cattle. They are respected farmers but due to their large herds of livestock they need to go into the national park to feed their animals. Cattle-wildlife and human conflicts are inevitable in those areas. This image shows tradition and progress.How long can the last cultures remain independent and how much will they be influenced in their way of living.Some warriors dream of going to go to the bigger cities and some want to go to university. They say they will always return to their home but is it possible to hold young gifted and spirited man within the spell of their long-existing culture?For the picture, I asked the warriors if they could stand next to the tree in a line and they gladly did so. I positioned myself on the ground under the humorous observation by the man. They thought I went crazy to lay down in the mud. But I chose this perspective to additionally add proudness and heroism in the image.

A shaman in the Amazonas, Ecuador.

A shaman in the Amazonas performing a spiritual ritual, Ecuador.