The Heart of Bleakness

Posted on June 14, 2012 by czed

Sifting Through the Wreckage of Congo’s Conflict Economy

Just stumbled upon this vice reportage of a trip to the coltan mines of Congo, and a visit to the FDLR and Mai Mai rebel groups. It’s a bit of crazy journey, and it seems that these guys arrive as a bunch of Westerners not really knowing what they are getting into, but as the tension increases and things get a bit more dangerous and chaotic they learn quickly.

Yes, DRC is not an easy place, and it’s not a place you’d just want to walk into. Interesting to see how the languages changes as well, from English, French, to Kirwanda and Kiswahili with the Mai Mai. Congo is a diverse place and as these guys rightly say .. there are no easy answers. Period.

Check out theses videos …

… and read the full story with some historical details here.

via Vice
Photos by Tim Freccia

Meeting Diana

Posted on June 4, 2012 by czed

Portrait of Diana smiling

Image: 2012, Christoph Ziegenhardt for CBM Australia

I met Diana during the second half of my visit at CCBRT, CBM’s partner hospital in Tanzania. I was there to take photos and hear the stories of people with disabilities, and how their lives had been impacted by the work.

The first few days we had spent in the field meeting people in their homes in and around Dar Es Salaam. But now we were in hospital, in the fistula ward.

Inside the Fistula Ward

Image: 2012, Christoph Ziegenhardt for CBM Australia

As I prepared for this interview, I wanted to make sure

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Steve Bloom’s 1970s South Africa, and Nairobi Kitengela Rd

Posted on June 1, 2012 by czed

The London Festival of Photography (June 1-28, 2012) is featuring the work of Steve Bloom, South African landscape and wildlife photographer, who also documented life in Apartheid South Africa in the mid 1970s, “capturing a critical moment in the history of apartheid-era South Africa. Some of these images are being shown for the first time, while others have not been seen since they were first exhibited internationally three decades ago.”

Bus stop, Cape Town, South Africa, 1976 © Steve Bloom /SteveBloom.com

There is a good feature of some images and Steve’s commentary on the BBC website.

What excites me a little more though is this stitched Panorama of Kitengela Road in Nairobi. It’s some great work showcasing the vibrancy of this area. Check it out:

Kitengela Road in Nairobi, BBC Interview with Steve Bloom.

The longest panorama? It’s 11 meters long and a bit different to my Nairobi Skyline Pano.

Steve also made a book called the Trading Places: Merchants of Nairobi. Check it out Amazon.

Trading Places: The Merchants of Nairobi

Stonetown Zanzibar

Posted on March 18, 2012 by czed

Being in Tanzania has been an enriching experience meeting people and diving into diverse cultures, discovering some new aspects and facets previously unknown. The Swahili people of the East African Coast, from northern Kenya, typified by the amazing island of Lamu, via Malindi, Mombasa and into Tanzania, Pemba and Zanzibar is the dominant culture that influenced Eastern Africa in regards to language, culture and traditions. Ancient Arab traditions, Indian Ocean trade – as early as 100 AD, and strong African flavours mixed into a very unique, proud and fascinating “Afro-Arab” people group.

Here’s a selection of images captured on Zanzibar.

Zanzibar Roof Top Skyline at Sunrise

Zanzibar has a rich history of fishing, seamanship and ocean trade

Sneak peek into more basic living conditions in Zanzibar

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First week in Dar Es Salaam

Posted on March 4, 2012 by czed

The first week in Dar has just flown by.

As a person not living here, it’s helpful to realise that I am always a foreigner, disregarding how many times I might have been to a place or how much I might know of the culture and language. (In fact, I find that true for pretty much anywhere, including Germany and Australia – where I supposedly come from ,-)

But while East Africa does feel more like home to me than most other places, having grown up in Kenya, the help of a local translator and fixer, who really understands the culture, interprets my interview questions in ways that work with the culture, is just absolutely invaluable. Not to mention the practical help of finding places, or getting a local sim card etc.

Local knowledge and language are in fact often the key that opens the door to a person’s story and home. My work would be much more difficult without it. So thank you Alexander (Translator in Dar), thank you Yusuf (Driver in Dar) and thank you Suleiman (fixer and driver in Zanzibar).

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Peace Harbour

Posted on February 22, 2012 by czed

The first days in Dar have been a bit of a treat. Its warm climate, ocean breeze and friendly people are thoroughly enjoyable.

We just finished up the second day here, and things are coming together nicely. Visiting and interviewing some inspiring people and hearing their life-journeys is once again a real privilege.

Below are a few general photos from around the place.

Important Note: You are free to link to this work. You may not copy or repost any images on other websites, blogs or social media, except with written permission. You must give attribution. You may not use the work for commercial purposes. You may not alter, transform, or built upon this work. © 2000-2012, Christoph Ziegenhardt, czed.com, christophziegenhardt.com

Weekend Inspiration #7 – Jens Honorore, Walk off the Earth, No Room For Mistakes

Posted on February 12, 2012 by czed

It’s February. Mid-feb to be more precise. Time for the next installment of Weekend Inspiration:

Starting of with some really nice work by Jens Honore photographing Micro-finance Projects in Africa, with some great shots from Kenya and Uganda.

jens_honorore microfinance projects photography

These sounds make me happy – 5 musicians and 1 guitar. Walk off the Earth creating a great sound and a perfect execution. So nice!

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9NF2edxy-M" width="585"]

And finally, a creative video on dreams, visions, life and soul:

Murder – No Room For Mistakes from Blink on Vimeo.

PS: I wish you LOVE: RIP Whitney Houston – August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012. Sad to see her go so early.

Weekend Inspiration #6 – Letterpress and Typography,Towers of Ennedi,

Posted on January 28, 2012 by czed

The first clip this weekend, takes us back in time and to Plymouth in this short film on the renaissance of sorts, of the good old printing press. Paul Collier, Letterpress and Typography Technician at Plymouth University shows the beauty of what was done before Illustrator and InDesign. Awakening a faint memory of 11th grade art-classes and first attempts at Linoleum printing.

A short film by Danny Cooke.

Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film from Danny Cooke on Vimeo.

The second clip is quite different, yet equally inspiring. (Though I would rather be the Italian dude, Piero. Like his old pipe, too .-)

A North-Face climbing trip to the deserts in Chad, Northern Africa features the Camp 4 Collective to be the first to climb the Towers of the Ennedi.

So why these two? To me both speak in a way of stepping away from from digital and virtual (eg: Wii Sport etc) – back (or perhaps forward) to analogue and the real. Bring it on!

James Mollison’s work and thoughts on Humanitarian Photography

Posted on October 19, 2011 by czed

James Mollison is a photographer working out of Venice, Italy. He was born in Kenya, which makes him immediately “simpatico”, just because of that.
AND, he’s also done some really great work. And in this video, showcasing some of his projects, he touches on his approach to photography and how he sees the single image versus a larger body of work. Group and individual identity and how his thoughts on the subject has informed the perspectives of his projects. This all is really fascinating in itself.

In this video James heads to Kenya where he sets out to photograph the huge variety of people at the Dadaab Refuge Camp in Kenya, the world’s oldest and largest refugee camp that sits in the desert on the Kenya-Somalia border. It’s an incredible place in many ways.

Picture Perfect: James Mollison (via Incase)

I really like James’ photographic approach of just getting there and spending time and really engaging with people. Interviewing, seeing, talking and taking photographs. In fact the first thing he does is to get an overview of the place, from above. To feel and sense the scale and enormity of this location, to better understand the different layers of narrative that are hidden here. Refugees that have just arrived, refugees that have been here for years, and people that have been born here and are somewhere non-citizens and non-refugees.

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BSG Click 11: Highly Commended Award

Posted on October 15, 2011 by czed

It’s only the second time that I entered an image into an Art Exhibition/Competition. The Brunswick Street Gallery Click11 is an un-curated exhibition and this year drew probably a good 450 pieces of work displayed across 8 rooms. 3 prices to be won, 3 Commended/Highly Commended Awards were given.

So I was surprised and happy to have one of my entries included among those winners.

Unofficial Dwelling #4

Unofficial Dwelling #4, Christoph Ziegenhardt, was taken in the Pumwani Slum in Nairobi, 2011. The Exhibition still runs until October 20th, 2011.