Duport Waterside, Monrovia

attahpapa — Mon, 7 Jan 2013 03:41:00 GMT

The pictures show the life in the community of Duport Waterside and the nearby mangrove swamp in Monrovia, Liberia. Duport (Port on the river Du) is considered the oldest harbor in Liberia from where goods were distributed up country and into Monrovia, but this is no longer the case as roads have improved. I have visited the community many times and got an insight in their lives. The community is strongly linked to in the mangrove swamp, where they make a living fishing or catching crawfish. They collect the wood and sell it as charcoal and make bamboo-mats. Despite using primitive techniques to catch fish and simplest canoes, modern technology is present and people are using cell-phones, even in the middle of the swamp. At one point the chief (see picture) visited me to discuss his concerns about the behavior of one of the community-members I knew and requested my assistance. This community is also known for a mass grave with several hundred victims of the brutal Civil War. The mass grave is not visible as such and located in the middle of the community. It is an integral part of their daily life, which is now peaceful.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronaldstilting/sets/72157632450279107/

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

attahpapa — Mon, 7 Jan 2013 03:37:39 GMT

I am a 53 year old Dutch hotelmanager, who started photography in the analogue era. Photography is my great passion. Being “Attahpapa”, father of adopted Ghanaian twins, I started combining photography with my second great love: Africa. Spending part of my career in Tanzania, Liberia and Ghana, It became my wish to show the true beauty of Africa, a continent is otherwise known for violence, poverty and misery. Next to my job as General Manager I went into communities and came close to the true life of African people. Going out to take pictures became a journey into the life of African people and enriched my life. Within the often difficult and for “civilized” people unfamiliar situations, there are interesting stories to be told with a lot of beauty, dignity and emotion which show a mostly unknown side of Africa. It would be my greatest wish if I could reach some people and –even slightly- show them a different Africa and change their perception of the people and the continent. Due to my sense of observation, sensitivity and ability to relate to people in my pictures, I create pictures which tell a story