Zimbabwe

I spent a couple of days in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe this week traveling with my wife in our mutual Christmas gift of 10-days of kid-free travel (kids are with their grandmother). She was a bit nervous about me getting into trouble and was constantly reminding me to exercise caution. I did, but still managed to get into trouble. Police are everywhere on foot in the small tourist town, but mostly to free tourists from overbearing street vendors who are eager to trade their trinkets for a bar of soap, shoes, t-shirts and other items aside from their national currency. I was advised by locals and hotel staff to avoid the obvious--photographing of police, banks, lines at ATMs, police stations, official buildings or "anything that shows the economy," one person told me.

I got into the country on a tourist visa which stated truthfully that I was a student. My main objective was to shoot a picture for The New York Times travel section that I was asked to look out for. It was of tourists visiting the falls, but I had to stay low profile. I hung out for some time and met some folks from England who I ultimately had to tell what I was doing. They understood, and it worked out. Over the next day, I tried to make some generic photos that gave some sense of Zimbabwe and people. I was told by the concierge and a security guard at my hotel who I befriended that photographing at the train station is okay and allowed. The guard walked with me over there where I wanted to shoot passengers exiting the first train. After a few minutes of shooting, a station official told me I couldn't photograph there without permission from the station master. Austin, the security guard, told me it was a lie to try to get money and that it was perfectly legal. Not wanting to press the issue or get into any trouble, I left.

The next day I returned when the passenger train arrived after asking another guard at the Victoria Falls Hotel which is adjacent to the station whether it is okay. He assured me it was as others had. I went in right as the train pulled in and began shooting. After a few minutes, it was a repeat of the previous day, so I left, but this time they were trying to bring me back and called police. Despite how friendly police are when you'r a tourist, I know how quickly they can turn. I bolted as the official following me through a park went back to the station to get a cop. I was able to slip into my hotel without a trace, but was a bit paranoid since we were leaving the country that morning for Botswana. There was no problem, but still I was nervous through yesterday when we returned to Zimbabwe to fly out of the airport there to Namibia where I am now. In the back of my head I was expecting the immigration officials to grill me, but it never happened.

It was difficult being there and not really being able to shoot openly. More than anything, it was a reminder of how bold journalists in countries like Zimbabwe are for simply doing their job.

Trees and Z's

I'm looking for evidence and impact of beach erosion.

Historical Pictures and Research

Since last week, I've been doing more research about coastal and beach erosion in Africa. A lot is going to have to wait because people are gone and institutions are closed for the holidays. I've made the rounds on foot and through e-mails to get to the bottom of the historical picture that I've become semi-obsessed with. I finally was able to find out the photographer of the picture taken in 1929 showing the old Práia da Maputo where the Marginal is now. It's changed incredibly and that's why I find it important. But most importantly, with the Clube Naval, the yacht club build by the Portuguese in 1913, it puts the area in context with an existing historical landmark.

The photographer's name is José Santos dos Rufino and he is dead. A project by three Portuguese universities through a joint foundation called Memorias de Africa posted Mr. Rufino's volumes of postcard books of photographs of Lorenço Marqués, the colonial Portuguese name that changed to Maputo after the Portuguese left in 1975, online along with similar projects from other former Luso-African colonies. It's incredibly interesting. I've found several old pictures of the Marginal, but this works the best for my purposes. Here is the response that I got from one a member of the group:

Dear Sir

Rufino is dead for long time.

As far as I know there is no problem of using the photo the way you describe.

We just put it on line, because they where already on line in the site of Companhia de Ferro de Moçambique.

But I can not give you authorization to do the same. I have not such power. You do what you want on your own.

Sincerely

Carlos Sangreman

CEsA

I also had a meeting with the management of Clube Naval who have this picture on their website as well as on their wall with other historical pictures but had no idea of who had taken it. They said, it was from an old postcard and gave me permission to use it and are going to make me a copy of theirs'. The casualness about giving me permission of a photo that they don't own rights to was a bit funny, but the main groups using it all share the same attitude. The copyright law in Mozambique and Portugal is the life of the artist plus 70 years which is similar to most of the world. It's clearly not up, but people have sort of taken a public domain attitude with it. I would like to ultimately get my work into a book form and would like to include Mr. Rufino's picture along with an updated photo, so I'll continue with this a bit more (Tt's a sort of caution that came from working at a newspaper-people loved to sue us.)

On the other front regarding this photo, I've been trying to find a location to repeat the picture. It's impossible so far because the hillside in which it was shot is now either developed or filled with trees and shrubbery. I've gone on sort of nerve-wracking little hikes through some areas on the hillside where homeless people and bandits live dodging garbage and human waste. It was quickly apparent that I could not get the photo I wanted. My other solution was getting in the air–I'm afraid of heights and hate flying.

A Portuguese photographer friend of mine has a buddy who is part of an air club that has access to a plane for $100 USD. He's going to see if he can help arrange for me to go up.

Vila dos Pescadores

I've spent the last couple of days since my tutorial with Ed Kashi at the Vila dos Pescadores, fishing village, photographing on the Marginal. He stressed that I show more of the impact of the beach erosion. It's a bit of a challenge to show it through pictures rather than explain it with words. My solution thus far has been to show various aspects of the erosion as interestingly as I can. For instance, in the time I've been working on this project I have a few detail before and after pictures showing the literally crumbling road then the patched up road with a newly constructed sea wall. I've also photographed several trees with their roots exposed which, to me, is quite graphic, eerie but yet aesthetically pleasing. Most are "casuarina trees" which were planted by the Portuguese to stop beach erosion. I've done some construction shots with tractors on the beach building sea walls, but they're not my best, and Homer made a point that has stuck with me about keeping the best photography for the project rather than some of these types of pictures which he–in his very frank sort of Homer way–are boring.

Nevertheless, Ed made a great point and it's certainly one that I've been aware of and trying to solve. The best way I can think of so far is to show a before and after picture using a historical photograph (I have a bad copy of my favorite so far) of a beach that no longer exists along with a photo today of the same area. I think it is sort of stark and to the point, but I don't know if it's bad form to lean on another photographer's old picture to make that point. Plus, I don't know who the photographer was and the legalities of using it which I should know. Its an old magazine article copy hanging up displayed with other old postcard and historical pictures at a club on the Marginal and none of the management can give me the answer either. I actually like their copy because a note scribbled on it says "Ponta destruida," or destroyed point.

As far as shooting the fishing village, it's technically part of the Marginal, but I had been concentrating on the point of development and the paved road to town which people consider "the Marginal" which starts at the Costa do Sol Bridge separating the dirt road that leads to the village. However, the expert who has been my source learning about Maputo's beach erosion problem often uses it as an example of a destroyed point on the city's coast. The government has done as much patching as they can putting rocks and seawalls to save the road from crumbling away, but the beach sounds like its doomed. I did more of what I've been doing–showing the people and life there–as well as incorporated a new sea wall and the rocks mentioned above in pictures.

Back when I was starting, I had a critique from the photo editor of the El Paso Times, Rudy Gutierrez, who was really harsh yet honest. The biggest point he made was that my captions were really long and descriptive, and it was evident that I was a writer. He said that my photos should speak for themselves without captions and that I should be able to simply show pictures instead of explaining everything in such detail. The toughest critiques have always stuck with me and thickened my skin, but its funny how something from so long ago is still like Jiminy Cricket chirping in my ear.