Rescuing and saving baby chimps is difficult. When they are taken by poachers, they are subject to tremendous trauma and abuse and cannot access the nutrition they need to survive. The care required for their survival is similar to what human babies require, an often exhausting 24/7 time of need. Many of the caregivers at this sanctuary are victims of the conflict, and a number of them have been raped, displaced or wounded. They see the chimps are healing them as much as they are healing the chimps. The bushmeat trade in the Congo basin is the heaviest in the world. Chimpanzees are often shot for the trade and their babies taken for possible sale. This essay attempts to show some of what is required to save those few chimps that are rescued, an estimated one in ten. We see this through rescue teams, bushmeat markets, and through the lens of Lwiro, a rescue sanctuary for chimps in a part of the Democratic Republic of Congo where conflict is a regular feature and wildlife is the last priority unless it can be eaten or sold. SHORT VERSION: When taken by poachers, chimpanzees are subject to tremendous trauma and abuse and cannot access the nutrition they need to survive. Just a few chimps are successfully rescued, an estimated one in ten. The care required for their survival is similar to what human babies require, an often exhausting 24/7 time of need. Many of the caregivers at the Lwiro sanctuary are victims of the conflict themselves, and a number of them have been raped, displaced or wounded. They see the chimps as healing them as much as they are healing the chimps.
The stallion Peyo, twice French champion in artistic dressage, is not like other horses who like to be pet - he has a strong, even difficult character. However, Hassen Bouchakour noticed that after performing shows his stallion sometimes approached people from the audience, suddenly behaving gently and protectively and always choosing people who were emotionally, physically, or psychologically vulnerable. Hassen sought out expert advice from veterinarians and a variety of medical specialists. After four years of research they determined that Peyo’s cerebral activity is unique. Today, experts and scientists are studying Peyo’s ability to instinctively detect cancer patients, as well as exploring why he chooses to accompany certain patients until their last breath. Hassan decided to take his horse Peyo into the palliative care department of the Calais hospital after cleaning him thoroughly and polishing his hooves in respect of the strict health regulations. “Doctor Peyo,” as he’s fondly called by the hospital staff, is now a celebrity, but most of all is an instrument in helping palliative care patients reduce their consumption of hard drugs.
The so-called "Perestroika”, initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-80s of the 20th century and the collapse of the USSR, turned into a series of territorial and ethnic conflicts throughout the former Soviet Empire, especially in the South Caucasus. For Nagorno-Karabakh, part of the Azerbaijan Union Republic, perestroika ended in a skirmish. Thirty years ago the balance of peaceful life in the region was lost. Ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan declared independence and won during the armed conflict. Most of the territory came under their control. The Azerbaijani population was forced to leave Nagorno-Karabakh. In the autumn of 2020, the military actions between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and the armed formations of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic with the support of Armenia resumed. The frozen conflict of the late 20th century suddenly exploded like a dormant volcano. The clashes were the longest and bloodiest in the region since the end of the Karabakh war in 1994. The fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia lasted six weeks and ended on November 10, 2020 with a peace agreement. Azerbaijan regained control over the areas that Armenia seized in the 1990s. But the balance is not reached. It is difficult to say who lost and who won this war. Truly reconciling and forgiving each other will be incredibly difficult for both sides: both for the Armenians who were expelled from their homes, who lost their homeland and thousands of soldiers, and for the Azerbaijanis returning to empty and lifeless cities, to the ruins of two wars. Although the fighting is over, future generations will continue to hate each other. "We will not be able to reconcile and live together now. Too much blood spilled on both sides - told me Areg, a local resident of the village of Karegakh. - It will take time. And yet, sooner or later, we must forgive each other. This is the only way to end the war."
The Barri family: Amnon, Tamar, and their children Malmalu, Paamon, and Achu. Amnon Barri, a circus man, experienced a personal tragedy in childhood when his sister was murdered near him in Ras Burka in the Sinai Desert. One day Amnon woke up knowing that his life had to change. Tamar Barri, a painter, was born to an Orthodox family and lived in a settlement. One day she decided to leave her past behind her; she bought a van and began wandering the breadth and width of Israel. On her wanderings, Tamar stopped for Amnon who was hitchhiking. The two arrived in the desert and there, in the Rainbow Festival, discovered their love for one another. From Israel, they wandered to Kenya, and there, in an African tribe tent, their first daughter was born. A year later, The Barrys returned to Israel, to Tamar's old van, and kept traveling and seeking for a place where their hearts would feel at home. In the background of the hectic Israeli way of life, the scene of this detached relaxed couple looks almost suspicious and non-Israeli. Nowadays, they spend the days together, building their home, cooperating with nature, and raising their children in their unique way.
The Anxiety Series is a photo story coalescing a vibrant fusion of art, poetry, and a social message on mental illness, drawing inspiration from my own encounters with anxiety and panic attacks. And while I was fortunate enough to recover through the constant love, support, and presence of my loved ones, I realised how mental illnesses are not given the attention and empathy they deserve, or even worse, are still considered a taboo. And thus, The Anxiety Series was born. The shoot demanded intricate choreography of various elements, so I decided to use an abandoned mill in Bengaluru where eight distinctive sets were made with different characters, colors, and lighting. The stories were inspired by fictional characters, each pertained to different backstories, but all touched by anxiety disorders such as PTSD, bullying, and body-shaming. --------------------------------------------VERSIONE BREVE-------------------------------------------- The Anxiety Series is a photo story inspired by my own recent encounters with anxiety and panic attacks. Art and poetry are used together to deal with the crucial social theme of mental illnesses which are not given the attention and empathy they deserve, or even worse, are still considered a taboo. For the shoot I used an abandoned mill in Bengaluru where eight distinctive sets were made with different characters, colors, and lighting. The stories were inspired by fictional characters, each pertained to different backstories, but all touched by anxiety disorders such as PTSD, bullying, and body-shaming.
In a Europe challenged by unprecedented migratory flows, a growing urgency to preserve national identity burns not only along borders but also inside Bulgaria, forcing minorities into ghettos. In 2019, Roma had more than 11 million people, and Stolipinovo, in Plovdiv, is today the biggest Roma ghetto in Europe. Formerly an ordinary district during communism, Stolipinovo was turned into a ghetto with the advent of democracy and resulting privatisation of industries. Historically subjected to prejudice and racial discrimination, its alleged 75,000 inhabitants with Turkish and Muslim cultural roots live in squalid decay and daily social emergency. In an atmosphere of generalized awakening of nationalist sentiments, Stolipinovo is a portrait of systematic discrimination in Europe in our century.
In 2020, Oregon bore the brunt of nearly 100 major wildfires, one of the most destructive on state record. On the morning of September 8, driven by over 40 mph wins, the Almeda fire quickly spread through retirement communities, trailer home parks, malls and businesses. In apocalyptic scenes, the town of Talent was left blanketed in a red flame retardant dropped by aerial firefighting efforts in hopes of saving the town. Three fatalities were reported, 3000 residents were displaced and nearly 3000 structures destroyed. Scientists say climate change has been a key factor in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the Western United States. ------------------VERSIONE BREVE-------------------------------------- In 2020, Oregon bore the brunt of nearly 100 major wildfires. On the morning of September 8, driven by over 40 mph wins, the Almeda fire quickly spread through retirement communities, trailer home parks, malls, and businesses. In apocalyptic scenes, the town of Talent was left blanketed in red flame retardant dropped by aerial firefighting efforts in hopes of saving the town. Scientists say climate change has been a key factor in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the Western United States.
Because of Covid-regulations all the training-locations in the Netherlands were closed until the 29th April. So the Dutch top-athletes had to stay in top shape in their own environment. In their houses, in the garden , on a rooftop or on a deserted lawn. They used their creativity to stay fit during Covid-times .
The night before September 9, a huge fire breaks out in the Moria camp, Europe's largest camp for refugees and migrants. After two days all of the makeshift houses, tents and residential containers have been consumed by the flames. The 12,000 residents of the camp are now forced to live on the streets while local authorities, collaborating with the UNHCR, set up a new tent camp in a military area on the outskirts of Mytilini. Police have cordoned off a one kilometer stretch of the main road just outside Mytilini where they gather the homeless refugees and migrants. Women and children begin protesting their situation on a daily basis. They refuse to settle in the new camp because they believe it will turn into a prison. Many of them hope that Germany in particular will come to their rescue and grant them asylum in this extraordinary situation.
Virunga National Park lost 14 conservation rangers to clashes with militia groups in the park in 2020. Eleven rangers were seriously wounded and can no longer serve as active rangers. Despite this, the park has opened new forward-operating bases in the central sector and along Lake Edward. They are building a huge fence in order to cut out militia groups and to try to prevent human wildlife conflict. This has seen repeated clashes between rangers and the militias in the park. One of the main reasons for these efforts is because a huge herd of elephants, counted at 574 individuals, has crossed over from Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda into Virunga in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is the largest intact group of elephants in the world at the time of this story. Three Ugandan experts confirmed that the elephants fled Queen Elizabeth National Park as they were being targeted for their ivory by members of the Ugandan army contingent based in the park for border protection. U.P.D.F are said to be using this time of COVID-19 as cover for their activities, with no-one around to witness. This translocation of elephants has not been seen since 1996, when many elephants fled Virunga for Uganda to escape the heavy conflict at the time. Air reconnaissance is a big part of protecting this huge park and Virunga recently opened the first flight school in DR Congo. This is aimed at teaching rangers as well as members of the Congolese army to fly, working together. Unfortunately, the instructor was recently killed in a flight accident, so this effort is on hold. Virunga has the only mountain gorilla orphanage on earth, and they received a new orphan recently. The other orphans are becoming sexually mature, so new plans will have to accommodate what is likely to be the first mountain gorilla baby born in captivity. This is all happening at a time when funding is greatly diminished for conservation by the effects of COVID-19. There is no tourism income in the park and philanthropy sources have become much smaller as funds are diverted elsewhere to cope with the effects of Covid. The Congolese Government provides no funding for Virunga.
When the 46-year-old black man George Floyd died after a brutal police intervention on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, violent protests erupted across the United States. His words "I can’t breathe" that was captured on video became a slogan of the Black Lives Matter movement. During the summer tens of thousands of protesters would gather into mostly peaceful protests for change.
2020 will be remembered as the year of the Pandemic. On March 13, Spain's health system was near collapse due to the number of COVID-19 patients in their ICUs. The Spanish government declared a state of emergency followed by a strict lockdown of more than 40 days, which affected the economy and daily life as never before. Nine months later, Spain has documented nearly 2 million cases and over 60,000 deaths.
The mining town of Toretsk sits isolated in eastern Ukraine. The mines that once nourished the local economy in this coal-rich Donbass region, have closed one by one since the 1990s and those that remain are rapidly reducing the number of workers. Since the start of the Donbass armed conflict in 2014, young people have left and investors have shied away due to the city’s proximity to the frontline. Founded in 1860, Centralna is the oldest and deepest mine (1124 meters) in the area. Operated by the state-owned company Toretskvugillya, its infrastructure is dilapidated and in dire need of repair, but the priority of the central government in Kiev is to support its soldiers first. Salaries are not paid and modern equipment is scarce. The declining coal mining industry is certain to appease those who care about clean air. Obsolete infrastructure, little control over what people burn in furnaces, and climate change are real problems that should be addressed but local communities that depend almost entirely on fossil fuels seem to be the most vulnerable in the slow transition to low-carbon technologies. Renewable energy, digital connectivity and clean energy infrastructure are elusive concepts to those just trying to survive. As the specter of a recession threatens, locals are left with unanswered questions about the city's future as well as their own. Is Toretsk going bankrupt like Walbrzych, the mining town in Poland’s Silesia region did in the 1990s? Generations of miners wait in fear, helpless against the political, environmental, and humanitarian crises that plague the region.
Towering icebergs, doomed expeditions in tall ships, desolate landscapes with naught but howling wind – this was the vast Arctic from the paintings of European explorers in the 19th century. That romance carries on in the 21st century, even as the ice vanishes and increasing numbers of people experience the North in person. When the future has its way with the North, it will leave a radically altered land. The sea ice and its denizens will have vanished. Contemporary Inuit will be living vastly different lifestyles than that of their ancestors. Future generations will look back to remember a land little understood by outsiders. Despite my ancestry as a Native Siberian, I experience the Arctic both as an insider and an outsider. My years there have left me with strong and intimate memories – the smell of fermented seal oil, the sting of ice crystals on snowmobile rides, and the background din of howling Greenlandic huskies. A future North awaits – not cold and unchanging, but living, dying and being reborn. Everyday memories of the Arctic will pass forward as they always have, kept by its Indigenous peoples and hidden in plain sight.
In western Uganda deforestation forces wild chimpanzees into direct competition with the agrarian human communities. Like humans, chimps are territorial apes, and with that comes a level of evolutionary aggression that erupts when territorial groups compete for resources. This is why chimps are killing children. The challenges are numerous with human population growth, deforestation, and human-wildlife interface with an endangered species.
February 21, 2020 is a central date for the Italian story related to the new coronavirus. On this date, several cases of coronavirus emerged in the Lodi area of Lombardy: these are people who do not come from China, a new outbreak whose extent is still unknown. The infection has spread to Italy, especially in the North, but also begins in other regions. For this reason, on March 4, 2020 the government gave the green light to the closure of schools and universities across the country until March 15, 2020. On March 4, 2020, according to Civil Protection data, there are about 2,700 positives and there are already some cases in all regions. On March 8, 2020 the decree that provides for the isolation of Lombardy, by far the most affected, and of other 14 provinces, which become "red zone", arrives. This measure will be then extended to the whole country by the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who during a speech to the nation declares the entire Italian territory a"protected area”. On 11 March 2020, “World Health Organization” general director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced in the Geneva briefing on the coronavirus epidemic that Covid-19 "can be characterized as a pandemic situation”. Italy remains one of the deadliest hot spots of the coronavirus pandemic. As of January 6, 2021 more than 76,000 people have died in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, known as the black summer, began with several serious uncontrolled fires during the middle of the Australian winter in June 2019, becoming the most devastating fire season on record. Throughout the summer, hundreds of fires burnt, destroying anestimated 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres; 186,000 square kilometres) of land - the size of South Korea - and destroyed over 5,900 buildings, killing at least 34 people. An estimated one billion animals have been killed driving some endangered species to extinction. Years of below-average rainfall and record heat put the countries forests and lands under stress, with many citing Climate Change as the cause of the unprecedented fires. Australian summers are now effectively twice as long as it’s winters, as climate change has increased temperatures and also reduced rainfall causing long term draughts. Many residents and businesses impacted by the fires are still waiting for insurance payouts, while coronavirus-linked travel restrictions has meant many affected areas will not see the much needed influx of spenders to shore up their struggling economies. In March 2020 it was announced that the bush fire season was finally over, bringing an end to over 240 days of fires.
Refugees and migrants trying to reach northern and western Europe via the Balkan route are heading to the northwestern corner of Bosnia-Herzegovina. IOM estimates that in December 2020 there are 4,000 people here, who all want to cross the border to Croatia. Many single men and boys from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh settle down in abandoned houses and rundown factory buildings in and around the towns of Bihać and Velika Kladuša, but there are also a number of families staying in the area who will try to cross the border before the winter really sets in. Most of them have tried many times and have been pushed back to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Many tell of Croatian border guards subjecting them to systematic violence and indignities, smashing their cell phones and taking their money, documents and things of value.
Trying to outrun your opponents with a headless goat wedged between your leg and your horse might not be your idea of a fun game but in Kyrgyzstan, Kok Boru is the national sport. Dead Goat Polo, as some refer to it, looks more like cavalier rugby. Generally divided into two teams of five (and hundreds or more in a freestyle variant called Alaman-Ulak), fearless men on horseback race from one end of the field to the other chasing the rider with possession trying to prevent him from scoring a point by heaving the 20-kilo body into the tai kazan (goal) at either end. Only stallions are used in this game because they are naturally anti-social and eager to fight off rivals. The players train their horses to muscle out other horses in the pack while they themselves wrestle each other to snatch the goat and gallop toward the goal, slamming into the rubber tires that encircle the meter-high mound. Most villages throughout the country have a playing field, some have official stadiums. Professional teams play tournaments which culminate in the national championships that take place during the festivities surrounding Nowruz on March 21st when the Kyrgyz nation celebrates the beginning of spring. The game is also showcased during Independence Day celebrations on August 31st. This year (2020), the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic has halted large public gatherings but unofficial games continue to be organized in many villages. Players share the price of the goat or wealthier citizens sponsor games with prizes to celebrate life events, inspire good fortune or simply for fun, and the winning team always takes home the goat for a post game feast. The origins of this legendary game lie somewhere between nomads hunting or defending their livestock against predatory wolves, to men and horses honing their fighting skills. Boys from the age of 4 - 5 learn to play on donkeys and instead of a goat, they fling around a much lighter pillow made of goat skin stuffed with hay. The new generation is happy to continue this rough and tumble game.
For under a 3 dollar subway ride, Coney Island has been a summer destination for New Yorkers for over 200 years trying to beat the heat and hectic pace of the city during the summer. The resort town has been threaten with gentrification but still has been able to keep its urban working class charm.
Doctors diagnosed the first case of Covid-19 in Italy on February 21st 2020, and the country quickly became the ‘epicenter’ of the pandemic, with almost 1000 people dying everyday in March. By January 2021, there had been more than 77.000 deaths. In March the Italian government imposed a national lockdown, limiting movements, prohibiting social life and keeping to the minimum the contacts in the hospitals. The Head of Oncology at the Hospital of Piacenza, in the northern area of Italy, Dr. Luigi Cavanna began visiting the homes of patients with Covid-19 during the country’s first national lockdown. From the start, he assisted them with the first symptoms of the disease - such as coughing or a fever - much in the same way that he would treat a patient with the earliest signs of cancer. Country Doctor is a piece of reportage that shows the courage, lucidity, resilience and humanity of a doctor who, in order to confront a global crisis, entered the homes of his patients without fear, and treated the disease in its early stages before they risked to degenerate and be hospitalized in intensive care units, which were already too full and on the verge of collapse. Dr Cavanna was the first doctor in the world to attempt this treatment during the first wave of Covid-19. He took care of more than 330 patients within what time frame, and saved all of their lives, and none of his patients have died. In July 2020, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as representative of the Italian Health Corps.
A road movie that tells the dream beyond the frontier of the inhabitants of the plain, immersed in a still unknown microcosm, where life flows slowly. Here time is fragmented, blurred, dreamlike and the water has its own music and whispers the stories of the inhabitants. The family ties, the bucolic landscape, the places and the animals: here everything is connected, everything flows and everything remains. These are tales of lands located below sea level, enclosed by mountain ranges and furrowed by rivers that overflow during the winter season. The dream of a red Emilia has now evaporated; the earthquake has mowed down much of the area, unemployment, alcohol and pollution have done the rest: but people continue to work and hope that this hard moment will pass, they are hardened to face the challenges of everyday life. Here we are used to the thick fog that remains for months and covers a vanished peasant world that should not be sought, but felt spiritually. Here the souls of our fathers and mothers echo like sounds from a distant time.
An unprecedented 2020 fire season in the U.S. wreaked havoc on California's wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties. The Glass Fire started in the early morning of Sept. 27 in Deer Park and merged with three other blazes. The Glass Fire struck midway through the traditional grape-harvesting season in Napa and Sonoma counties, both world-renowned among California’s wine-producing regions and still reeling from a cluster of large wildfires in the summer. Raging for multiple days, the Glass Fire destroyed the popular mansion-like Chateau Boswell winery, a building at the Castello di Amorosa winery, whose landmark architecture was inspired by a 13th-century Tuscan castle. When smoke is absorbed into a vine and concentrates in the fruit, it alters a grape’s chemistry and ultimately its taste, leaving some wines with “ashtray aromas” that may appear during fermentation or even as late as after bottling. California fires have scorched over 3.8 million acres (1.5 million hectares) since January - far exceeding any single year in state history. They have been stoked by increasingly frequent and prolonged bouts of extreme heat, high winds and dry-lightning sieges that scientists attribute to climate change.
For Yerbin Estrada, the worst part of the day is when the sun sets. “That is when the hell really begins,” he says. Throughout the night he hears his neighbors’ muffled whimpering as rats scuttle by his body. Yerbin is an inmate at La Esperanza, a low-security prison tucked into central Honduras’ pine and oak-lined mountains. With over 400 inmates in a facility meant for 70, La Esperanza hovers around 400% overcapacity. In addition to the health risks posed by overcrowding, staff worry about the pandemic's mental toll. The roots of the problem plague prisons throughout the Americas, says director Jose López Cerrato: harsh sentences for minimal crimes, lack of proper police investigation and over 50% of detainees held without charge, often for years. The only reprieve from the dark monotony are visiting days. But as the coronavirus takes hold in Honduras, there are no outside visitors, and with prohibitively expensive rates for calls from the single phone, they are now all but cut off from the outside world. Built in 1937, La Esperanza prison was originally a private residence, according to staff. The colonial-style blue and yellow fortress sits across from the town’s main square. But still, behind the bars the ultimate law is that which reigns in Central America, a mantra sprayed onto walls in gang-controlled neighborhoods: "ver, oir, y callar." See, hear, and be silent. The most common crimes are domestic violence, drug possession and homicide. Honduras' prisons, designed for just over 10,000 inmates, are home to nearly 22,000, according to recent counts.
Fistula is a debilitating condition in which women injured in childbirth uncontrollably leak a trail of urine or feces. While a delivery by caesarian section prevents obstetric fistula, in sub-Saharan Africa such medical procedures and prenatal care are often out of reach for rural women. As many as three million women suffer the devastating effects of this injury and often lose their babies during obstructed childbirth. The Bahir Dar Fistula Hospital is one of the few refuges for these women.
