During our recent trip to New Orleans, we ventured into the lower Ninth Ward and saw much of the disrepair and abandonment, an eerie Cajun ghost town. While walking along the levee, I saw a pair of drainage pipes, and one of them had a lid adorned with new bolts. Shiny new decorations on a rust-color foundation...and a host of other contrasts came to mind. So I took this photograph, a digital allegory of progress in the rebuilding effort since Katrina.
If you'd like to see the array of photographs selected, click HERE. Mine is number three in the series.
9 comments:
Very interesting contrast!!!! You have the eye cuz....
awesome, primo. do you have photos from your days in haiti....was thinking you could post some...if you are taking requests....
mb
@ Margara...
I'll look for some of my old Haiti photos...
The news is soooo terrible, heart-wrenching.
i know. it's made me think of you a lot the last couple of days. one feels a little helpless being over here. other than giving money, how else can we help? do you have any insight??
i meant to say A LOT helpless.
Today's Washington Post had a photo of a young school girl trapped under the rubble...it left me speechless and full of tears. I remember when I was there in 97-98 the and remember the engineers (Army and Navy) built schools, and dug water wells...the doctors (Air Force and Navy) treated patients in mobile clinics... yet, Haiti seemed so unforgiving...with every well they dug, more people fought over the rights to the water, the more violence seemed to materialize from thin air.
One day I set out with some of my soldiers and took some clothes and toys that had been sent from military families in the US for Haitian families. I remember giving a young boy a small Matchbox car. His smile was overwhelming. We played around for a few minutes and then headed back to our vehicle...as we were about to leave, I saw an older boy walk over and hit the younger boy over the head with a fist and run of with the toy car... We hung around for a bit and comforted the younger boy, gave him a new toy and left...but I still wonder how long that toy lasted in his possession....
That is a sad recollection, but I saw things much darker and violent, and I also saw things that made me feel like I was making a difference...
Haiti is a sad place even in my recollections....
PS: I looked through boxes of photos at home and couldn't find the few photos I had kept. They are probably at the office. I will post them early next week.
The relief agencies are probably overwhelmed trying to coordinate the most basic movements around town. I know that Catholic Relief Services and other NGO's have great networks in-country, the best short term help is probably money...
Awesome picture !! I agree with Amalia, you do have the eye.
Kenito, that's a sad story about the match box car and the kid....the photos from recent days are heart breaking.
btw, congrats on this latest pick up by the bbc. you have a great eye for photos. it's awesome to come look at your site!!
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