documentary | filmmaking | photography | people | travel
A quick update as we prepare to set off for a day of filming (more on that later) with Jason Florio. I’m looking forward to capturing more of the unique and quirky doors and storefronts of The Gambia, West Africa. Helen Jones-Florio
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We are thrilled to be chosen for The Photoville FENCE, 2020, with our on-going series, ‘Gambia – victims and resisters‘ – a multimedia body of work that began back in 2016. With the blessing of those we have photographed and filmed, our intention has always been to share their very personal and traumatic stories far and wide. Heartfelt thanks to the FENCE jurors and the Photoville team for helping us to achieve this.
‘The Photoville FENCE is a year-round public photography project exhibited in major parks and downtowns across North America. Featuring over 90 photographers annually, the exhibition brings compelling visual stories into the public realm, and to a wide and diverse audience.
The 9th edition will be displayed in Atlanta, Brooklyn, Calgary, Denver, Durham, Houston, Metro (Fargo, W. Fargo and Moorhead), New Orleans, Sarasota, Seattle and Winchester!‘ Read/see more: The Photoville FENCE
President Yahya Jammeh ruled The Gambia with an iron fist for twenty two years after taking control of the country with a coup in July1994. With Jammeh’s exile after electoral defeat in 2016, a Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) was set up to look into his regime’s abuses. The TRRC along with victims families and local media at Yundum army Barracks where the bodies of seven murdered soldiers were exhumed. The soldiers were murdered by soldiers loyal to Jammeh for being allegedly part of a counter coup in November 1994. Witnesses say eleven soldiers were buried at the barracks, so far only seven have been found. Along with the bone fragments, electrical cables were also found that were used to bind the victims hands. The only clothing found were underwear, corroborating witness testimonies that the men were stripped almost naked before being shot.
From 1994 -2017 President Yahya Jammeh ruled the Gambia, West Africa, as his own personal fiefdom, crushing dissent, and opposition, with brutality.
His personal hit squad and intelligence agency carried out tortures, and assassinations with impunity – journalists were gunned down and disappeared, ministers were jailed, students shot in cold blood, and even his own brother and sister were murdered on his orders.
With Jammeh’s 2016 election defeat, he went into exile after a standoff with regional forces, and the victims of his regime started to come forward.
So far, over 1000 victims and their families have registered with the Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations to share their stories and help build international support to bring Jammeh to justice
Cast your vote for the People’s Choice Winner of the 9th edition of the Photoville FENCE! Help decide the artist who will receive a Leica camera package and a yearlong mentorship with the Photoville team.
Individuals may cast one vote per day from now through January 2021.
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Header image: Gambian student, Ami Lowe.
“I grew up not knowing the love of a father. I was only three years old when he disappeared, so I don’t remember him. I only know him through what people have told me, that he was a good man, and some say he was a hero.” Amie Lowe
17 year old Amie Lowe photographed in her father’s room, left unchanged since he was killed in 2006. Amie’s father, Lt Ebou Lowe was disappeared and executed by members of the former president, Yahya Jammeh’s hit squad, ‘the Junglers’, after he was accused of being part of a coup attempt in 2006 to overthrow the dictatorial Jammeh regime. Image ©Jason Florio & Helen Jones-Florio ‘Gambia – victims, and resisters’
View more portraits from this on-going, multimedia, series on Jason Florio’s website floriophoto.com
Assignment queries, and image licensing – Contact here
Over the last few years, whilst we have been based on the small Mediterranean island of Malta, we’ve had some regular, and very welcome, feline visitors – some of whom, as you can see, make themselves very much at home. These strays saunter in, from the Cat Village (run by the inimitable, indefatigable Roza Zammit Salinos) across the street, whenever they see the front door open. They then wend their way up three flights of stairs to the top of the house and into our apartment.
And, for some reason, they all seem to gravitate towards our West Africa, ‘no wahala‘, chair. Although, it can get a wee bit messy if one of them tries to get onto ‘their’ favourite chair at the same time as one of the others! After all, these are tough street-wise cats.
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We also highly welcome in our regular stray street/beach dogs whenever we are working in The Gambia (which is often).
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‘The Day The Towers Fell – my 9/11 journey In August 2001 I went to Afghanistan to photograph a war – all was quiet. But when I returned to my home in New York City, in early September, the war came to me’ Jason Florio – full interview Photography Daily Show
…To follow the full story on Afghanistan (from my previous trip, in 2000) we knew we also need it to head to the north-east to meet the Taliban opposition, the Northern Alliance, who controlled that portion of the country. This we could not do until a year later in August 2001.
Our first attempt to cross the border from Pakistan to the Northern Alliance area disguised as women wearing full covering burqas failed. We then spent the next three weeks organizing a ride into the country via Tajikistan on a Russian helicopter operated by the Northern Alliance… Jason Florio read/see more
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