Post Tagged with: "cultural"

Smiles from Timor-Leste

One thing I love about working with ChildFund is the bit of extra time they sometimes allow me to focus my lens on a country’s culture and daily life. In addition to shooting a few videos recently for the organization in Timor-Leste, I also shot these photographs, which give bit of insight into the country’s people and the terrain that is their home. Special emphasis was also placed on the beautiful practice of traditional Timorese weaving, seen below, which is a livelihood for many women on the island.    

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Wonder of the Kathmandu Valley

Wedged between the Indian subcontinent and the lofty Himalayas, Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley is a place where various cultures and religions meld together to create a spiritual fusion.  While anthropologists may say otherwise, locals will tell you there is no distinction between Buddhism and Hinduism here.  With settlements dating back as far as 130BC, the valley is home to the most dense collection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites anywhere in the world. Filming took place over four early mornings at some of Kathmandu’s most sacred and ancient temples, as well as on the every day streets of this bustling metropolis.

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Crafting a Future

Many NGO’s focus on building livelihoods through agriculture. What about the people that live in areas where crop production is literally not a viable option? Kenya’s Emali district has been hit by recurring drought for the last decade, making farming next to impossible. In this documentary short, which I shot and edited, we see the blueprint of a grant from the Government of New Zealand implemented by ChildFund Kenya called “Building Resources in Two Drought Affected Communities.” As our narrators tell us, the aim of the program is not just to build secure livelihoods of the program’s participants, but also to preserve precious and unique cultural traditions and craftwork among the Kamba and Maasai peoples in Emali. Along the way we get an idea of the artists’ creation process and even a beauty tip from the Maasai. The program has made quite a splash in New Zealand media. 3News, Dominion[…]

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Everywhere a Coffee Bar

Three coffee shops next to each other on the same block?  One right across from the other?  This isn’t the left bank of the Seine or downtown DC.  This is Ethiopia! Sure, coffee is grown and exported from other African countries like Tanzania and Kenya, but only in Ethiopia is coffee cultivated, harvested, roasted, and afterwards widely consumed by the public.  In fact, coffee is deeply entrenched in the fiber of Ethiopian society. Long before the Italians came to attempt a takeover of the country (they failed), Ethiopians have been savoring sweet espresso, home-style.  The Italian espresso machine did catch on, however, as it has elsewhere, and is nearly as ubiquitous in Ethiopia as the jabena, the traditional kettle in which coffee is prepared here. Coffee even originates from Ethiopia.  It comes from a region known as Kaffa, from which most languages derive their word for the caffeinated essential.  Below,[…]

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