Hi:
My name is Asif Saeed and I am a Pakistani. I am 29 years old, an engineer by
profession and a hobbyist photographer. Mainly I love landscape/travel
photography and I have travelled all over Pakistan and China for this. My other
passions include trekking/hiking, traveling, tourism and I am also a novice
angler. I have always wanted to visit the African bush and photograph its
diverse and unique landscape and animals. I must admit that I am not very
experienced at wildlife photography as there is not much opportunity here in
Pakistan and China. This is indeed a great opportunity for me not only to learn
from the best but also have an overwhelming experience by being up-close and
personal with the wild. My experience in living for long periods of time in the
outdoors also makes me a suitable candidate for this scholarship.
While touring Yunnan Province in China I had the
opportunity to spend one night with the Mosuo minority. The Mosuo culture is a
matriarchal one in which the women are dominant and are responsible for every
decision of the family. Naturally the head of the family is also a woman.
Another interesting aspect of this culture is the concept of walk in marriages
instead of the traditional marriage. There are no husbands and wives and no
long lasting relations. The children of such relations are raised by and traced
in lineage by the female side. After a cultural dance possible suitors would
propose to girls and if the Matriarch agrees they can spend the night together.
I also had the opportunity to attend such a dance which has now become a
somewhat greater tourist attraction.
