Meeting the Gambian village chiefs – the Alkalo’s – see their portraits on exhibition for the first time in The Gambia

Something for the weekend…

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Expedition leaders, Jason and Helen. on a red dusty road with Paddy, the donkey. From 930km African odyssey

 

If you are new to the story,  in short, in 2009, photographer, Jason Florio, myself, and three Gambian team mates, two donkeys and a cart to carry camera and camping equipment, walked around the small West African country of The Gambia – ‘A Short Walk in the Gambian Bush – 930km African odyssey‘,  on what would be the first fully documented circumnavigation of the country, completely by foot.

 

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Alkalo (village chief), Dam Sallah, and the village elders come to welcome the team – Kerr Sat Maram, The Gambia. From 930km African Odyssey. Image © Jason Florio

 

On the way around, we were warmly welcomed by many, many different Alkalo’s – male and female – who Jason then photographed. The formal portraits  of the chiefs and elders became an award-winning body of work, entitled: ‘Silafando – a gift to you on behalf of my journey‘.

 

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Team mates: Janneh, Jason, with Alkalo Dadi Bah, Helen, & Momadou, in the tiny village of Tuba Dabbo, The Gambia. From 930km African Odyssey. Image by team mate, Samba Leigh

 

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Alkalo Jare Sowe, Jason Florio, & Samba Leigh, Falleng Koto, The Gambia. From 930km African Odyssey. Image © Helen Jones-Florio

 

'Silafando' The Gambia © Jason Florio
Alkalo Jare Sowe, Felling Kotto, The Gambia – from ‘Silafando’ © Jason Florio

 

If you are in The Gambia, there is still a few more days to see the ‘Silafando‘ exhibition (until 30th April, 2015), at Gaya Art Cafe, Bertil Harding Highway (next door to Senegambia main craft market). And, to see and read more of the back story of the 930km walk, then please visit our ‘930km African Odyssey‘ blog.

HJF

Related Post: ‘Silafando’ exhibition opening

Photo of the Day: construction workers on Lake Kivu barge, Rwanda – by Jason Florio

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Workers attend to the final construction phase of the KivuWatt barge, Rwanda. Image © Jason Florio, for M.I.T. Technology Review/Redux Pictures NYC

 

Lake Kivu’s Great Gas Gamble – Rwanda

In a first-of-its-kind endeavor, electricity-starved Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are trying to get power from a lake—and avert catastrophe … . read the full feature here – by Jon W. Rosen/ Images © Jason Florio

Press & published work

Press: Review of exhibition opening – ‘Silafando’ – portraits of village chiefs by Jason Florio, The Gambia, West Africa

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Photographer, Jason Florio, and photography & expedition producer, Helen Jones-Florio, at the opening of ‘Silafando’ – photo © Anna Wedin, for Afrope.se

 

A big thank you to Anna Wedin, who came to review the opening of our ‘Silafando‘ exhibition, at Gaya Art Café, Gambia, a couple of weeks ago, for Afrope.se – Jason Florio’s award-winning portraits of Gambian village chiefs (‘alkalos’) and elders were taken whilst we were on ‘A Short Walk in the Gambian Bush – 930km African odyssey‘, completely by foot, in 2009

Read Anna’s review on the Afrope.se site. If you would like to translate the article, try translate.google.com

The exhibition runs through April 30th, 2015. Click here for location details.

HJF

Related posts: Exhibition Opening / Silafando / Photo Exhibition – Silafando

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Jason Florio – Image © Helen Jones-Florio

 

 

Press: Kids jumping into ‘exploding’ Lake Kivu, Uganda – image by Jason Florio

 

 

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Sons of fishermen jumping off fishing boats into Lake Kivu, Uganda – image © Jason Florio, for M.I.T. Technology Review/Redux Pictures NYC

 

A recent assignment took Florio to Uganda, and the border of DR Congo, to photograph, and film, a fascinating story with writer, Jon W. Rosen, for M.I.T. (Massachusett Institute of Technology)/Technology Review magazine. The piece is about Uganda’s ‘exploding lake (Kivu)’ – read Jon’s full article here, accompanied by Florio’s photographs and videography.

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Lake Kivu, Uganda – image © Jason Florio, for M.I.T. Technology Review/Redux Pictures NYC

 

HJF

Press and published work.