Children of the Cemetery

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

Philippines | Sunday, January 13, 2013 | 5 photos

This brief contains information on the images entered for the competition to provide context as to why I value the changes that have taken place in how I see things after the trip abroad to this place – “North Cemetery” in 2012'. Being a student of photography I lacked direction but I was drawn to social commentary and photo journalism. Cementerio del Norte is the oldest, most densely populated cemetery in Manila. It is 54 hectares and has been in use for over 70 years and is home to more than 10000 people. There is no running water, electricity or sewage available and people survive on begging or working in the cemetery cleaning, painting or digging. Children are born into this, work and die here. We had entered a world I could not conceive of. The environment was dirty, gritty, dangerous and emotionally shattering but to those that lived there it was home but a a plight that we would not accept. I have been taking photographs for some few years now but as I get older I realise I know so little about the craft but more importantly so little about the world. There is to quote a commonly used cliche “ so much to do, so little time in which to do it” and education is the key.