Bolivia: Selling Poultry On The Streets Of Sucre

The sale of these birds is all these Quechua women standing against a wall of Sucre’s market in Bolivia have to contribute to their family’s survival. And there are millions like them around the world. A reminder to be grateful for our own lives.

Brazil: Rio Negro Flood

Brazil’s Rio Negro, main tributary of the Amazon River, has flooded its banks, killing the forest and forcing families to move to their houseboats. The Rio Negro can rise as much as 14 meters.

Brazil: Red And White River In The Amazon

The Urucu River carries away the foam of its spectacular falls upstream. Its waters are reddish like tea because, when overflowing their banks, they infuse the forest’s dry leaves. They even taste like tea.

     The Amazon rain forest is not the Green Hell some explorers of old, in search of glory, would make people believe. At least not if you are not lost in it and losing your wits and your life.  It provides its Indians a happy and comfortable life working on average less than three hours a day.

     In fact, it is the world’s most beautiful garden. Photographing this river made me fantasize about floating down it on my back, as it seemed that it must lead to some terrestrial paradise.

My computer did not start this morning, apparently from some hardware problem. I'll try to get help tomorrow, Monday. I'm writing from my wife's computer, but have no access to my digital photos. I hope to start posting new pictures again soon.

Collecting Piaçava In The Brazilian Amazon

Caboclos, mestizos of Brazil’s Amazon rain forest, cutting piaçava—the fibers of decayed palm leaves used in the manufacture of industrial brushes, brooms, ropes, and more.

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Caboclos, métis de l’Amazonie brésilienne, coupant du piaçava—des fibres de feuilles de palmiers sèches et effritées qui s’utilisent dans la fabrication de balais, de brosses industrielles, et de cordes.

Colombia: Antioquia Market Day

On market day, in Colombia’s Andean town of Antioquia, a farmer returns home from the market with purchases loaded on an ox. Along the wall other farmers are waiting their turn to sell their bags of coffee inside the office of a coffee growers  cooperative where it will be evaluated first.

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Un jour de marché en Colombie, dans la petite ville andine d’Antioquia, un fermier retourne chez lui avec quelques achats que transporte son bœuf. Le long du mur d’autres fermiers attendent leurs tours de vendre leurs sacs de café a l’intérieur du bureau d’une coopérative de producteurs de café ou il sera d’abord évalué. 

Philippines Street Fight

Amateur boxing match in a street of La Carlota, in the Philippines’ Mindanao island.

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Rencontre de boxeurs amateurs dans une rue de La Carlota, dans l’île philippine de Mindanao.

Djibouti: Danakil Boy Herding Goats

Danakil nomad boy herding goats across Djibouti’s Lake Abbe's dry side, which is covered with a crust of salt.

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Garçon Danakil menant des chèvres au pâturage sur le lac Abbe de Djibouti, dont cette partie asséchée est couverte de sel.

Eritrea And the Shark Fins' Trade

In Thio, on Eritrea’s Red Sea coast, Danakil fishermen are eviscerating small sharks, which they will later salt and dry for export to China via Aden, in South Yemen. Photo 1963.

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A Thio, sur la côte Erythréenne de la mer rouge, des pêcheurs Danakil éviscèrent de petits requins qu’ensuite ils saleront et étaleront a sécher pour l’exportation en Chine, via Aden, au sud du Yémen. Photo 1963.

Eritrea: Danakil Waterhole

At sunrise near Thio, on Eritrea’s Red Sea coast, an old Danakil man rests on his shovel after unclogging a water hole in a dry river bed. His grandson pulls water from the hole to fill the bag on the donkey. 

     Unlike desert Danakil, who raise camels and goats and are nomadic, coastal Danakil are settled and civilized. At the time of this photograph, in 1967, they fished sharks whose fins they exported to Aden, in south Yemen, from where they found their way to China.

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Aux premiers rayons du soleil près de Thio, sur la côte Erythréenne de la mer rouge, un homme Danakil se repose sur sa pelle après avoir retiré du sable d’un trou d’eau dans le lit sec d’une rivière. Son petit-fils  en puise de l’eau pour remplir le sac sur l’âne.

     Contrairement aux Danakil nomades du désert, qui élèvent des chameaux et des chèvres, les pêcheurs Danakil de la mer rouge sont civilisés. A l’époque de cette photo, en 1967, ils pêchaient des requins dont les ailerons s’exportaient en Chine via Aden, au Yémen.