Louisa Curtis interviews Florio:
Alkalo Sankary Sanyang, Tendaba, The Gambia, West Africa
For more about Louisa J Curtis, check out her wonderful site: food, images, interviews, astrology, chatter http://www.chatterboxenterprises.com/
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia Alkalo Dam Sallah, Kerr Sait Maram, The Gambia, West Africa
Check it out:
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/esearch/e3i091074075f7ed2769c27e2530ad33533
Alkalo Fatou Dansu, Kaba Kamma, The Gambia, West Africa
Much to our complete delight, we found out a couple of days ago that Florio was in the finals in the Fine Art Series category, for the NY Photo Festival Awards, 2010 for his portraits of the Alkalo’s. There was around 15 finalists who would then be narrowed down to 3 nominee’s by the jurors, to be announced on the night of the awards ceremony (14th May).
After a day of wandering around the various exhibitions at the festival, we arrived at the awards, anxious to hear what the final results would be and after over an hours delay of starting the awards (due to ‘technical problems’), the awards began. It was a painful process of one technical problem after another with the slide show presentation but eventually they got to the Fine Art Series category nominees and Florio was in the top 3!! “Woohooo”!!!! our little group of friends cheered. Alas, he did not win the actual award but even getting this far with an ‘Honourable Mention’ from the prestigious NY Photo Awards is enough – for the time being (hey, there is always next year!)……considering that last year over 3000 people entered the awards, with over 15,000 images, and this year there was 10% more entrants. Not bad going, Florio.
All in all, he was really bloody happy to receive the accolade for all the hard work that he put in over the period of the expedition. And a huge abaraka bacce to all the Alkalo’s – without whom none of this would have happened.
And, here are the nominee’s ……and winners:
http://www.nyphotofestival.com/site/
NY Photo Festival, 2010, St Annes Warehouse, Dumbo, NY
Image: Jones-2010
PS little did I know (or any of our expectant friends who were with us yesterday), Florio had received a text message from the NY festival administrators that very afternoon to say that he was in the top 3 nominee’s! He was a) nervous about mentioning it (and a wee bit too humble about it, knowing him) b) wanted it to be a surprise for us all! I could have strangled him!! In the nicest possible way 
More soon
Jones & Florio (Nominated for the NY Photo Festival Awards, 2010!))
Duta Fotana Alkao (chief) of Pirang village, The Gambia watches over the village imam as he reads from the Koran
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
http://elizabethavedon.blogspot.com/2010/05/jason-florio-photojournalism-may-12.html
If you are in New York this evening (12 May) then please stop by around 6.3pm to hear Jason Florio talk about the last 10 years+ of his photojournalism work – ‘Photojournalism: A Personal Psychosis’ - showing images from The Gambia ‘A Short Walk in The Gambian Bush’ expedition (ofcourse), plus Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Cuba, Ethiopia and so on. He will be speaking around 7.15pm and before him, Sarah Small, will talk about ‘The Delirium Constructions: Improvisation and Implausible Interaction’
Check out the link below for details:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=661091353#!/event.php?eid=113121125392028&ref=mf
Florio with Jare Sowe, Felling Koto (Samba Lee to the right)
Image: Jones-2009-Gambia
Florio with the lovely Alkalo, Jare Sowe, in Felling Koto. His compound was such a peaceful setting for us to pitch our tents and rest our weary legs for the night – despite being surrounded by the usual 30+ pairs of curious eyes of the children from his family and the rest of the small village. In fact whilst Florio, Samba, Janneh and Momadou went off in search of groundnut hay for Paddy and Neil, the children kept me very entertained (and I them by proving to them that a ‘toubab’ (http://www.accessgambia.com/information/toubab.html) could ride a bicycle – a rickety old one at that – around their sandy-floored compound, much to their delight!). Vying for my attention, the young boys showed off their footballing skills (boys will be boys) and the girls demonstrated how deftly they could make the most intricate woven fencing panels out of wah grasses – which takes them about 3 hours to make just one panel, which they then sell to neighbours and/or at the weekly lumo (market) for the equivalent of 3GBP’s. I sat and tried to communicate in my limited Mandinka (again, much to their delight and by the way one didn’t need to know any Mandinka to know when they were laughing about the way I, a toubabo, pronounced their language!) as they sat surrounding me, sitting as close as possible, staring unabashedly, touching my skin, or pushing the stray strands of my hair behind my ears, all in the way that most Gambian kids are – totally unselfconscious. They are so tactile, having been brought up in such big communal close-knit environments, looking after one another almost as soon as they are able to walk. Its both very touching and humbling to be around these children (albeit, it would prove at times to be a wee bit intrusive as the journey went on. We were just not used to being observed so avidly and constantly, feeling like the only rock in the bay that the limpet wants to latch onto. Especially when you’ve just walked a hot and dusty 30km for the third day in a row and all you want to do get horizontal!).
The whole team have very fond memories of Felling Koto and especially of Mr Sowe, the Alkalo. Just take a look at the portrait Florio took of him from an earlier posting (or check it out on his website http://www.floriophoto.com/#/projects/930km%20african%20odyssey/5) He has this almost beatific expression on his face. I cannot look at his portrait without thinking that he knows the answer to the universe. Perhaps you had to be there……….
What was also a surprise to us was the fact that we could get on line, being that we were in such a tiny village. It was the first time in about a week that we were able to get an internet connection. So, between Florio and I arguing over who got to get on first to make use of the limited power that we had from the battery (charged from the solar panel we lay on top of the cart to get the optimum rays from the sun. Even after 30km’s walk, the battery was still not fully charged) to charge the laptop – he to use the portable printer to print off a portrait for the Alkalo and me updating the blog, by furiously copying my hand written notes from my journal before the power went and/or we lost the precious connection).
Jones with Alkalo Nyamo Ceesay, Brikama Bah
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
Ahhh…..the magnanimous alkalo, Nyamo Ceesay, who wanted a 3rd wife and said to Florio that he would give him his bike in exchange his muso (me! his woman!). He very thoughtfully said that he would take me for a ride on his bike first – before handing it over to Florio. Don’t you just love the candidness?!?
Florio doing 'the deal' with Alkalo Nyamo - a wife for a bike
Image: Jones-2009-Gambia
Florio preparing the shot with Alkalo Massaneh Cham, Chamen Sosseh
Image: Jones-2009-Gambia
Samba Lee meets an old friend on the road
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
A day on the Gambia River, near to Sambel Kunda (where The Gambia Horse & Donkey Trust is (http://www.gambiahorseanddonkey.org.uk/). We had stopped by for a couple of days rest and to drop Paddy off and swap him for (p)Hadley – he being a slightly more mature donkey to do the rest of the journey with us.
A Short Walk in The Gambian Bush expedition team – messing about on the river (Gambia)
Featuring, Samba Lee, Jones & Janneh (Florio on vocals). Momadou had decided to stay behind with his new wife who lived in the village – having deserted her to come on the road with us – and redeem himself!
And check out this welcome we got at Sambel Kunda from the local school kids, who had apparently been waiting for us for hours in the heat, singing and clapping the whole time. Amazing…….
Paddy (the donkey) comes homeA massive welcome from the school kids in Sambel Kunda and The Gambia Horse & Donkey Trust teamall together now: ‘Gambia, little Gambia……..’
Jones 'school marm' - Sambel Kunda
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia (Jones, recording the singing and, the big softy that she is, at the same time hiding the tears of joy behind her sunglasses at such a welcome from the kids – and plain old exhaustion after 14 days walking!)
Jones - 'sod off!!'
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
Say no more!!
Florio - The maestro at work
Image: Jones-2009-Gambia
Florio feels at home - a slice of NY on the road in The Gambia
Image: Jones-2009-Gambia
Imagine our surprise, coming across a big old dusty truck advertising New York’s TriBeca Film Festival. The cinema in question being a mere 15 minute walk, at the end of 6th Ave, from our neighbourhood, in the West Village. Very surreal in its surroundings. However, how we wished we were in the neighbourhood right there and then, if only to get a fresh-baked pain au chocolate from Claude’s Patisserie on 4th St & 6th! Its the small things you miss on the road.
Jones has her eye on the nuts........
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
A bit of history: groundnuts (peanuts) were introduced to The Gambia by the Portuguese in the 16th century and up until the 1800’s, they were only grown for domestic consumption. Then the Brits came along and introduced the groundnut as a crop – i.e. as a way to make an income.
It being harvesting season, whilst we were on the road, we ate so many groundnuts, either straight from the shell, as above, or Momadu and Janneh would put a huge pile together and set light to them. Their way of roasting them. Then we would squat around the embers, biting off the burnt shells to get to the small ‘roasted’ peanut inside.(I say ‘roasted’ as I’m sure, by that point, they were more carcinogenic but, they tasted darn good!!). I don’t recall that we ever even had to buy any because we would either pass by fields all the time, where they were being harvested, and farmers and kids would run out to give us a bag full or one of our guys would just ask a passing stranger (usually women), who were carrying a big bowel full (as in the photo above) wrapped in cloth on their heads, for a handful. No one ever said no. There was such an abundance of them. Everywhere you looked, Gambians would be spitting out the shells and chewing on the tasty nuts.
The Alkalo and village elders clear the ground for our campsite, Soto Koi
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
We arrived in the small village of Soto Koi and were greeted in the usual welcoming way. Much to our protestations, the Alkalo himself and the elders insisted on clearing beneath the shade of a tree for our campsite that night. However, we couldn’t understand why the women standing around the periphery were giggling and whispering amongst themselves. So, we asked Janneh to go and ask what was so funny. It turns out that they thought we were crazy, pitching our tents beneath this particular tree as it was infested with mosquitos! By this point, the ground was clear and we did not want to risk insulting the alkalo and his men by asking if we could move somewhere else. Suffice to say, that night, we ate out chop (food) as quickly as we possibly could and retreated to the protection of our tents, pronto!!
Florio - 'Its ok team, I think can see the end of the road from here'
Image: Jones-2009-Gambia (dawn over Khalaji)
Jones - oh, did we mention the kids? Killy village
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
Florio - carrying the groundnut hay a al Gambian style
Image: Jones-2009-Gambia
The things we did on the road to amuse ourselves! On route to Tendaba.
Janneh & Jones on the road
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
Janneh with the ubiquitous (75 Dalasi) radio. Radio and static in The Gambia are synonymous!
Jones enthralling some local girls with her Panasonic Lumix!
Florio, Janneh, Momadou & Samba - breakfast in Fatoto
Image: Jones-2009-Gambia
Jones - a rare moment of relaxtion, the Gambia River, near Georgetown (Janjanbureh)
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
No kids, no team, just Florio & Jones – enjoying a rare moment off (and off our feet!), away from the road……bliss……the Gambia River is a constant favourite for both of us.
Another dawn in paradise
Image: Florio-2009-The Gambia
Our favourite time of the day. Half an hour before this, we would have been walking in the cool dark hours of the very early morning, having been on the road since 5am, Florio and I contemplating life, love, the universe and whether or not we would make it back to Makasutu for Christmas and turkey! I also loved this time of day because you could already begin to feel the heat of the still relatively weak sun, knowing that within the hour, you could shed the long-sleeved top, wrap, hat and scarf that you’d donned when setting off first thing.
Florio - 'he's football crazy, he's football mad, football it has taken away the little bit of sense he had....'
Image: Jones-2009-Gambia
On the way to Georgetown (Janjanbureh)
'Something dead' - Road Kill
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
One of many images of Florio’s fascination of all things dead. Fortunately, its not scratch ‘n’ sniff! We would often be walking along and smell the road kill before we reached it – or even saw it at all in some cases. A putrid smell would emanate from the depths of the bush - ’something dead’ one of us would nonchalantly comment. You kind of got used to it after your nasal cavity had experienced the initial two or three odours of ’something dead’ (either that or you had your bandana constantly on hand, preferably fragranced with lavender essential oil!)
From the beginning - the Short Walk team leaving Makasutu to begin the odyssey - Nov 2nd 2009
Some of our good friends come to see us take the first steps – James English, Makasutu Culture Forest co-owner (2nd from left, next to Florio), Dominic. Mandina waiter (3rd from left), Lamin, Mandina chef extraordinaire (5th from left) and the usual omnipresent village kids.
The Short Walk team: Florio (left), Samba (middle), Jones (crouching next to Neil the donkey), Momadou (right), Janneh (2nd from right) and Paddy (with his ass to the camrea!).
It seems so long ago now and how much we would see and experience on the road over the following 6 weeks was hardly even imagined at this point.
More images and road stories to come
Jones & Florio
Expedition Leaders
Neil (with phadley in the background), enjoying a succulent melon and some tasty groundnut hay on the road (Image: Jones)
A whole post dedicated to the beautiful donkeys that accompanied us on the expedition – Neil, Paddy & (p)Hadley and we just wanted to give an update on how they are doing now they are back at home at the rather wonderful surroundings of The Gambia Horse & Donkey Trust http://www.gambiahorseanddonkey.org.uk/ We had a lovely email from Heather Armstrong (who founded the trust with her late sister, Stella) who told us ‘Your boys are missing you and they are both so much more cuddly since they went walk about!’ We miss those little guys so much, They were amazing companions on the road.
Paddy going home - Image: Florio
Twelve days into the journey, Anna and Alex, who run the Gambia Horse & Donkey Trust for Heahter, decided that perhaps we should swap Paddy for a more mature donkey. Hence, Hadley was welcomed onto the team (who we promptly renamed (p)Hadley in deference to Paddy). This is us being welcomed by a whole school of children in Sambel Kunda, singing and clapping as we walked into the village, It still brings a tear to my eye when I think about this very special day and re-look over the photos.
Paddy on the road - Image: Jones
Brothers in arms - (p)Hadley and Neil on the ferry at the most easterly crossing on the Gambia River from Koina to Koina Tenda (half way through our journey) - Image: Jones
Quite an achievement to get te ‘boys’ on the ferry as donkeys are notoriously afraid of water! However, once on the small ferry, they seemed calm and enjoyed the view as much as we did. I love this photo of them.
An injured donkey with her foal - Image: Jones
This was one of the most distressing scenes that we came across (this and seeing a monkey that had been shot in the head yet was still alive), not long after we left The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust (TGHDT). Unfortunately, this poor creature had had oil poured over her back – we couldn’t find out how it had happened. It could have been an accident or deliberate. I guess we will never know. However, we called Gibril and the team at TGHDT, who were coincidentally driving around the area at the time (they do this all the time, looking out for scenes just as this to try and help and re-educate the locals on how to look after their donkeys properly). They promptly arrived and took care of the situation. The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust do amazing work out there to help educate local people on how to take care of their horses and donkeys – i.e. how to harness them properly with a head harness as opposed to tying rope around the bottom of the donkey or horses jaws – often inadvertently cutting off the animals circulation. Please take some time to check out their website for yourself and, if you are so inclined, we know that they would appreciate any kind of donation – small or large – whatever you can afford.
http://www.gambiahorseanddonkey.org.uk/
Neil, Paddy & (p)Hadley will stay in our memories for a very long time – if not forever – they made such an impression on Florio and I, including Samba and Janneh who had never had any real previous contact with donkeys either. They were a complete joy to us, even when they were being at their most stubborn (i.e. trying to coax them to pass by a puddle, let alone get on a ferry to cross the Gambia River!). We couldn’t have done the journey without them. I hope we get to see them again one day soon.
A BIG huge thank you to Heather, Gibril, Alex, Anna and Momadou of The Gambia Horse & Donkey Trust, Sambel Kunda, The Gambia. Jones, Florio, Samba and Janneh – A Short Walk in The Gambian Bush expedition team
Alkalo Mesanneh Cham, Chamen Sosseh, The Gambia, West Africa
Image taken from Jason Florio’s ‘Fine Art Print Sales Colour Collection’ http://www.floriophoto.com/#/fine%20art%20print%20sales/color%20collection/1 Part of the ‘930km African Odyssey’ (A Short Walk in The Gambian Bush expedition). Also available are images taken from Florio’s previous travels and assignments around the world, including India, Cambodia and Cuba
Sea & Sky - Havana, Cuba
Also, from the Black & White Collection () one of my particular favourites, ‘Abdou Ndong and Croc’. Abdou is a fisherman is one of Florio’s oldest friends in The Gambia. We often wake in the mornings, when we are staying at our friends place on the Mandian Balong (river)Makasutu Culture Forest ( http://www.makasutu.com/), to find a gift of freshly caught fish from Abdou.
'Abdou Ndong & Croc'
If the above links don’t work, please go to www.floriophoto.com and then to the Fine Art Print Sales gallery, where you will find black and white and colour galleries.
Print Sizes:
Unlimited Editions
8 1/2 x 11″
Limited Editions of 15
16 x 20″
24 x 36″
30 x 45″
40 x 50″
For print sale price list and inquiries, please contact helen.jones@floriophoto.com
Cattle farmer and marabout (medicine man), Salafo Bah and his wife Penda, Tuba Dabbo, The Gambia, West Africa
Image: Florio-2009-Gambia
We now have the series of stunning colour portraits up on the website http://www.floriophoto.com/#/projects/930km%20african%20odyssey/1 of the alkalo’s (village chiefs) and elders.
The above portraits are of Mr & Mrs Bah of the Fula village of Tuba Dabbo. The Fula tribes are predominantly cattle farmers. We had met Mr Bah previously when we were staying with Alkalo Fatou Dansu near Basse and he invited us to Tuba Dabbo to to celebrate Tobaski. This is a public holiday is (also known as Eid Al Adha). Families throughout the Gambia ritually slaughter mostly sheep in ritual sacrifice. The occasion of Tabaski is in commemoration of Abrahams willingness to sacrifice his own son, Ismail, in the name of Allah. It coincides with the end of the annual Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca.
Mr Bah very kindly had Samba translate to me that he had bought the biggest, fattest, sheep to slaughter in my honour! Unfortunately (or fortunately for me!) we had to leave Tuba Dabbo before the ritual slaughter took place as the date was postponed to 2 days later and we had to move onto our next village.
Tuba Dabbo was a very special experience in many ways, particularly when Mr Bah, who is a marabout, read our fortunes in the sand (more on that in Dec 6th post). We felt very blessed to have met him and his family.
Please check out the portraits on Florio’s website – they are really rather beautifully ethereal.
Thanks for stopping by
Jones, Florio & the Short Walk Team
Alkalo Jare Sowe, Felling Koto, The Gambia, West Africa
Image: Florio-2009-The Gambia
http://www.thegambiablog.co.uk/2010/04/jason-florios-gambia-photographs/
‘Jason’s style is unique – his use of the black screen has at once something of a distancing effect, yet the images become like naked singularities, events almost. They’re quite something….‘ Matt Smith – The Gambia Blog (The Gambia Experience http://www.gambia.co.uk/)
Al Haji Harouna Tonkara, Al Kalo of Suduwole's brother with his horse.
Young Gambian boy & his goats (our cart in the background on the right), The Gambia, West Africa
We were constantly coming across sites that to us were fascinating to see. However, to the Gambian’s it was totally normal (which of course it was) to be walking along the street with your goats. So our fascination with them was their bemusement in our fascination……I wonder if that makes sense?
Gambian kids
The kids we met along the way just loved to pose for the camera and were even more excited (slight understatement!) when they realised that they could then see the image of themselves on the back of the camera! That then made them want to ‘act’ up even more! At times you could surrounded by 20+ sticky-fingered kids all clamouring to grab the camera to look at themselves! Suffice to say, the lens cloth was a constant accessory
Yum......bee-flavoured juicy melon! Farafenni roadside vendor, The Gambia
Nothing quite like a mouthwatering-juicy-delicious-thirst-quenching-lip-smaking-ripe-luscious-bee-covered-melon after a long day on the road.
Jones makes tapalapa & sardines whilst Janneh makes tea on the banks of the Gambia River, Karantaba, The Gambia
We went specifically to Karantaba to find the memorial to the young Scottish explorer (and inspirator of the expedition), Mungo Parks. After wandering around, in the sweltering heat of the afternoon seemingly lost at times, chopping through the bush with our cutlasses to eventually find the site of the overgrown memorial, we head back to Neil and (p)Hadley, the donkeys. They were being watched by Momadou (if you can being fast asleep beneath the cart in the shade watching!) at our little resting place by the serene Gambia River. It was such an amazing spot to stop…..women washing their laundry and then their bodies in the river to the right and cattle lapping up the dark waters to the left of us. Florio and I decided that we needed to build a house right there and then!
Janneh got the furno out (a small tin furnace) and the kembo (charcoal) and proceeded with the ritual of making our tea. In this image, you can see how he stirs up the embers by swinging the furno backwards and forwards and then he places our by-now road-battered metal pan on top with the water inside, places (from our fast-dwindling supplies) 4 precious PG Tips teabags into the water and then lets if simmer, until it boils. Once that’s done, powdered milk is added, the Gambian team members add their 6 teaspoons of sugar (each! I kid you not!) to their cups and we have the most delicious thirst-quenching drink of the day.
**Images: Florio-2009-Gambia
**For more images from The Gambia, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, India, Ethiopia etc, please visit Jason Florio’s website www.floriophoto.com
And more images from A Short Walk In The Gambian Bush from both Florio & Jones http://www.flickr.com/photos/expeditionafrica
