Faces of Bougainville: Desolation
“Desolation” / Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea / December 2012
I was excited to see the middle part of Bougainville Island and so my eye was glued to the viewfinder as we travelled on a motorized boat from our island hotel. There were many bright and colorful scenes of white, sandy beaches, lush green mangroves, and local fisherfolks extracting the bounties of the sea. But, as our boat approached the shore, there was this; a gloomy image of two unhappy boys by an old, dilapidated building.
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Related Posts by Shutter Bug:
- Bougainville the Brave (travellingartist.wordpress.com)
- Faces of Bougainville: I See Me! (travellingartist.wordpress.com)
- Faces of Bougainville: Mother and Daughter (travellingartist.wordpress.com)
- Green Island (travellingartist.wordpress.com)
- Faces of Bougainville: Two Ladies by the Dock (travellingartist.wordpress.com)
- Scenic Sohano (travellingartist.wordpress.com)
- Looking Into Development Issues in Post-Conflict Bougainville (travellingartist.wordpress.com)
The drag of endless mental work in a strange land takes its toll. Fatigue can kill so petty escapades provide hopeful deviations from the brewing madness. An aging DSLR keeps good company to a walk around the neighbourhood, a short drive to a scenic place, or a silent recollection in a quiet nook granting that the host community and the elements of nature would allow one a safe passage to solitude and contemplation. Loneliness quickly turns to joy when something exciting gets captured by the cam’s shutter then set free into the laptop’s screen followed by electric words that rush from the fingers to the keyboard in an effort to describe the moment. Alas, the brain is alive once again!
Poor babies. 😦
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There is some desolation…life doesn’t always smile on us….
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True. And some groups experience it more intensely than others.
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Yes, they certainly do, Jessie.
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Great capture but I cannot “like” this because it hurts to see poverty and blight. Always has and always will.
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Yes, the subject can be disturbing but, as you said, it is a harsh reality and I want to capture it in photos just as it is. Thanks, my blog friend.
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What a powerful and moving photo. It really does get you thinking when you see scenes like that. I still remember when I drove through a refugee camp in Belize and seeing the humble circumstances there. All of your problems just go out the window when you see such a sight like that.
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HI. Thanks for the visit and for leaving a comment.
Yes, it’s unfortunate that sights like this still persist in our world. I’ve also worked with refugees and conflict-affected communities for many years yet I never get used to the sight of suffering. The guilt feeling of not being able to do enough is a heavy burden to carry. Best regards.
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