Shan Portraits 1: Octogenarian
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a person who is between 80 and 89 years old.
Ywangan, Southern Shan State, May 2018. There was a festive mood in the village as visitors from foreign lands (we) have arrived to consult with the villagers. Men, women and children took a break from their work at the vegetable fields and came to the village center in their best Danu traditional costume to meet the foreigners. There was dancing and traditional music, traditional Shan food was being cooked and served at the assembly, and there was lots of fun and awe as visitors mingled and talked with locals.
“Octogenarian 1” / Shan State, Burma / May 2018
For some reason, he arrived late, propping himself slightly not with a proper cane but a wooden stick, and the first question he asked was, “What’s happening?”. With the help of an interpreter, the occasion was explained to him and then, after a few more introductory exchanges, he told me that he was now 88 years old and was once a hard-working farmer thus the obvious energy despite the age. Except for some missing teeth and the need to carry a walking stick, he said he doesn’t find much difficulty in life at all.
“Octogenarian 2” / Shan State, Burma / May 2018
I instantly liked him and his positive attitude in life as somehow evidenced by the heavy lines on his face that seem to have permanently etched a slight smile at the corner of his lips no matter how serious the story he was telling.
“Octogenarian 3” / Shan State, Burma / May 2018
And, for the next hour or so, my lens stalked him as he chatted with other villagers, tried to talk to the foreigners, or smoked a tobacco in one corner.
“Octogenarian 4” / Shan State, Burma / May 2018
By the time our group left, I had a dozen or so photos of him but, beyond those images, I brought home a valuable lesson: life does not have to be depressing even when you are in the late 80s. JP
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!
Excellent.
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