Posted on by Jason Florio & Helen Jones-Florio

Oyster Women of The Gambia, West Africa

Women, selling their oysters in Serrekunda Market, the Gambia ©Helen Jones-Florio

On a recent photo assignment, with Jason Florio, we spent a day on a pirogue meandering through the network of bolongs – tributaries – of the River Gambia, following a group of oyster women as they harvested the mangroves for oysters (more on that assignment – and Jason’s photos – once the story has been published). It’s extremely labour-intensive work for such a meager return on sales. We paid 35Dalasi (about 56p / 70¢) for a small cupful at the market, today, where there is prolific competition from other oyster-vendors.

River Gambia Expedition – 1044km source-sea African odyssey

Being on the water, here in the Gambia, always reminds of our River Gambia Expedition – a 1044km source-sea journey, spanning over three countries. We came across a group of oyster women, who were harvesting, smoking, and shucking the oysters near to our campsite – readying them to sell at the local market.

Female migrants from Guinea Bissau work along the shores of a tributary of River Gambia, in The Gambia, collecting oysters that hang from the mangroves. © Jason Florio – River Gambia Expedition
River Gambia Expedition – ©Jason Florio & Helen Jones-Florio
Jason Florio photographs the oyster women, as they harvest the mangroves, The Gambia © Helen Jones-Florio

We wish you a happy weekend!

Helen Jones-Florio

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Currently working in the Gambia – with Jason Florio – May 2019

‘Gambia – Victims, and Resisters of a Regime‘

#Portraits4PositiveChange

Available for assignments & for image licensing – Contact here

@doors_facades_florio / @jasonflorioio / @floriotravels – Instagram

Jason Florio – Vimeo / floriotravels – Vimeo

floriophotoNYC – Twitter

PhotoTellStories – FB

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Posted on by Jason Florio & Helen Jones-Florio

Portraits for Positive Change – The Gambia. Jason Florio / Helen Jones-Florio

Portraits for Positive Change exhibition booklet – front cover © Jason Florio

A sneak preview of the front cover of our next exhibition booklet ‘Portraits for Positive Change‘. All images are taken from an on-going body of work, here in the Gambia, West Africa

‘Gambia – victims, and resisters of a regime‘

The booklet is to accompany the portraits – and video – of our second exhibition of this work, in the Gambia. More news about the exhibition, coming soon… Jason Florio & Helen Jones-Florio

#Portraits4PositiveChange

Mr.Njie – in his taxi which was confiscated by the NIA for many months ©Jason Florio

“I was taken downstairs (everyone knows that this is where the bad things happen at the NIA -National Intelligence Agency). They covered my eyes with something, and I felt 3-4 people push behind me, and I felt an injection in my back – you know…like a big staple gun – and then I felt something enter my system…burning me inside. I was screaming, shouting, calling to Allah for help. Then they took me to the beating grounds…” Mr. Njie

#GambiaHasDecided

Njie, a local taxi driver, was inadvertently caught up in a demonstration by the UDP opposition party on April 14th 2016 and arrested by the former president, Yahya Jammeh’s, security forces. Despite simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Njie was held, without charge for 3 months

“Oh my god, Mile 2, it is like hell…no dignity, they treat you like donkeys, animals, even the smallest of boys…no respect” Mr.Njie

#StoriesBehindDoors ©Helen Jones-Florio – The doorway to Mr.Njie’s home
Print samples for the new exhibition in the Gambia ©Jason Florio/Instagram

Portraits ©Jason Florio / Text ©Helen Jones-Florio

Helen Jones-Florio & Jason Florio - wet plate collodion print portrait courtesy of Marcin Andrzejewski
Teamwork: Helen Jones-Florio & Jason Florio – portrait courtesy of Marcin Andrzejewski

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Currently working in the Gambia – May 2019

‘Gambia – Victims, and Resisters of a Regime‘

#Portraits4PositiveChange

Available for assignments & for image licensing – Contact here

floriophoto.com

@doors_facades_florio / @jasonflorioio / @floriotravels – Instagram

Jason Florio – Vimeo / floriotravels – Vimeo

floriophotoNYC – Twitter

PhotoTellStories – FB

Posted on by Jason Florio & Helen Jones-Florio

Stories Behind Doors, the Gambia

#StoriesBehindDoors – Yundum Army Barracks, the Gambia ©Helen Jones-Florio – Instagram @doors_facades_florio

Well come to No.4, Yundum Army Barracks, The Gambia – this door, to a Gambian soldiers quarters, overlooks the site on the camp where the bodies of seven murdered soldiers were exhumed. The soldiers were murdered by soldiers loyal to the former president, Yahya 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.

The exhumation findings of 7 murdered soldiers at Yundum Barrack, the Gambia. Image © Jason Florio / See more on Instagram

#StoriesBehindDoors

The families of the murdered Gambian soldiers gather next to the exhumation site at Yundum Army Barrack, the Gambia, along with the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commissioners (TRRC). Image © Jason Florio – see more on Instagram

Currently working in the Gambia – April-May 2019

‘Gambia – Victims, and Resisters of a Regime‘

#Portraits4PositiveChange

Available for assignments & for image licensing – Contact here

floriophoto.com

@doors_facades_florio / @jasonflorioio / @floriotravels – Instagram

Jason Florio – Vimeo

floriophotoNYC – Twitter

PhotoTellStories – FB

Posted on by Jason Florio & Helen Jones-Florio

Cover Shots: Jason Florio & Helen Jones-Florio, The Gambia, West Africa

Cover shot © Jason Florio for FD Persoonlijk Magazine ‘Environment & Climate – the resurrection of Han Stiphout’

Ten years ago Han Stiphout (64) had two castles in Limberg and a bid for his company of more €20 million. Just before the sale, he went bankrupt. Now he is picking up again and building recycling plants in The Gambia and Senegal… words by Hella Hueck / FD Persoonlijk Magazine + all feature images © Jason Florio

– Published 19th April 2019

Super excited – we both made the cover of two separate publications, this week, connected to The Gambia, West Africa!


Cover shot © Helen Jones-Florio (Mile2 Prison, Gambia) – ANEKED Gambia launches the first edition of the TRRC Digest which gives a summary of the first session of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission hearings.



A constructive recount of the first session of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission hearings looking into the July 22nd Coup and the early aftermath. The summary provides names of persons adversely mentioned as perpetrators of and/or  accessory to gross human rights violations.
TRRC Digest, Edition 1 – 7th January to 28th January, 2019 – ANEKED


– published 17th April 2019

Helen Jones-Florio & Jason Florio - wet plate collodion print portrait courtesy of Marcin Andrzejewski
Helen Jones-Florio & Jason Florio – portrait courtesy of Marcin Andrzejewski

Currently working in the Gambia – April 2019

‘Gambia – Victims, and Resisters of a Regime‘

#Portraits4PositiveChange

Available for assignments & for image licensing – Contact here

floriophoto.com

@doors_facades_florio / @jasonflorioio / @floriotravels – Instagram

Jason Florio – Vimeo

floriophotoNYC – Twitter

PhotoTellStories – FB