Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/12/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Wonderful picture story. Now, if we could just get you to squat down when you photograph kids and people sitting on the ground;^) ric -------------------------------------------- WARNING: All electronic communications in this country are monitored for content by the government. Speak truth at your own risk. On Dec 9, 2007, at 7:43 AM, Daniel Ridings wrote: > Travelling to and working in Africa means meeting people, for me. The > work we do is important in the long run, but there are plenty of > people whose lives you can play a role in, in the short run. You can't > save the world. You learn to say no. > > Meet Philip Tambala: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0276_large.html > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0278_large.html > > He wasn't a beggar. I bought his "calendar elephants" of wood (12 > elephants, from large to small). I paid too much for them so he could > buy seed (too much = I didn't haggle). I even bought 6 more in order > to make a down-payment on fertilizer. > > My only request was that I wanted to see the receipts. > > We met on the first day. > > Two days later he was back with a long story about why he didn't have > the receipts with him (bought on the black-market). But he needed a > lot more for fertilizer. > > I explained that I had done my part. I appreciated his situation, but > I wasn't made of money. I still wanted proof of what he had done. > > He was a fast talker. His command of English was amazing, but his > mastery of logic and disposition was somewhat confusing. > > He came back more and more. I was firm. Not a penny more. > > But his story made sense. > > After 10 days I put him together with the Chief Exectutive Officer: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0561_large.html > > All I wanted to know was if his story was straight or not. You really > need fertilizer after planting corn (once knee-high and once again as > "top dressing"). Each bag cost, subsidized, around 6 USD. But the > coupons for claiming the subsidized price were not getting > distributed. The market price was about 5 times more, per bag (50 kg), > and he needed 4 bags. That's starting to look like 120 USD and I > wanted assurance. > > The CEO and him had a long talk. After two hours I came in. I asked if > I could see the fields and we agreed on Friday (the last day of my > visit). > > We had had a long running discussion and our agreement felt like a > resolution. > > The day before they, my colleagues, started hesitating about taking me > there. The CEO more or less made sure I would be safe, but there were > other security aspects. > > Blood-suckers. > > It was well-known that blood-suckers were attacking the people. > Ripping up holes in roofs, sneaking in at night and sucking out blood. > Anyone coming in a vehicle might be seen as coming to negotiate with > the chief about when they could come and suck blood. They would then > stone the car and us before asking why we were there. > > But on Friday morning I came to work early, 7 am, and Philip was > waiting for me. He was for real. > > We bought the fertilizer and headed off. The kids greeted us: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0510_large.html > > The girl on the left took a liking to me: > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0511_large.html > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0513_large.html > > That's her in the background, disappearing into the hills with my > green camera back (and all my cameras) on her back: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0515_large.html > > I called her back. > > Told these guys to keep trying, I used to work the streets of East > St. Louis: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0517_large.html > > Philip is a gentleman and helped his wife pick up the 100 pound bag: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0518_large.html > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0519_large.html > > He took the next one: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0520_large.html > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0521_large.html > > And his oldest son took the last one (the fourth one I had sent out in > good faith days before): > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0523_large.html > > And there goes my camera bag again: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0526_large.html > > The village: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0528_large.html > > Philip's sister-in-law died and in a matriarchy her husband was > required to move out of the house, but also required to leave the > children behind. There were four. > > Philip is now responsible for 8 children, one wife, two grandmothers > and himself. > > The property is still owned by the mother's family, but they are not > there anymore: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0530_large.html > > He was telling the truth. He had planted the seed and he did need > fertilizer (I had already come to trust him so I had brought the > fertilizer sight unseen): > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0536_large.html > > His youngest son is sick with malaria, the deadliest kind: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0538_large.html > > This is where they live. The outer room is about as big as a coffee > table and the inner room is about as big as two coffee tables: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0540_large.html > > No pictures. I was invited in but had to tactfully leave after a > minute of fighting off the mosquitoes and holding back puke. > > The grandmothers: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0542_large.html > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0543_large.html > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0545_large.html > > The 3-bedroom house he is building. > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0551_large.html > > He can't afford a roof yet (I think I see some work cut out for me in > January when I go back). > > He paid about 85 USD to have others build the house for him (he baked > the bricks himself right there in the front). You didn't need to ask > what they were smoking: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0553_large.html > > Neighbors: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0554_large.html > > Our departure: > > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0558_large.html > http://www.dlridings.se/lightroom/PhilipTambala/content/ > _DSC0560_large.html > > I was privileged to be allowed such a personal tour of his family, but > the trust is there now. Africa is about people and you don't dump each > other. > > Daniel > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information