Friday, October 30, 2009

NEW BLOG

For my next trip starting at Nov 02, 2009 I have started a new blog.
I will be traveling with colleague-photographer and friend Johannes Abeling. We've started a joint project where we will combine reportage, portrait, landscape and panorama photography with video and text.
Check it all out and keep following us at:
River@Risk
www.riveratrisk.com

Hope to see you there

Ronald

ps. In the future I will keep updating this blog during trips not related to the rivers project.

Monday, September 14, 2009

12-09+2009 Paris Manga






Paris Manga, a big trade fair for everything related to Japanese youth culture. But just observing the visitors was the most fun.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

01-08-2009 Slum Surfing


Click on the image for a Soundslide presentation.

Eleven year old Joaquin from the extremely poor area of Alto Peru in Lima has learned to surf on the nearby Pacific Ocean. Two local surfers have set up an organisation to teach poor children to surf. They say Joachin is a talented surfer and If he keeps training hard, this sport may be an escape from poverty for him.
They try to teach their students other values too, like respect for the environment and education. They try to offer them an alternative to hanging around in the streets, joining gangs and using and dealing drugs.

(Music: 3 Deseos, by: Masilva, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Masilva/53601506820)

Friday, August 28, 2009

31-07-09 Lima



One of the dreariest areas of Lima, near the main garbage dump of the city.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

27-07-2009 Peru


The Yanacocha mine is the biggest gold mine in Latin America. It covers several mountaintops in the Andes near the city Cajamarca in the north of the country.

Monday, May 04, 2009

28-04-2009 Cafoa

Vakaga state in the north east of the Central African Republic only has a few schools with stone buildings. Most students go to class in cane huts with thatch roofs. The French NGO Triangle is trying to build 20 new school buildings this year in the state. Problem is that in the rainy season that lasts from May to Oct. most roads in the area are impassable which will seriously hamper the construction efforts.

27-04-2009 Boura

French blue helmets patrolling the weekly market of Boura, the biggest market in the north eastern region of the Central African Republic. The borders with Chad and Sudan are not far away.

26-04-09 Birao


The catholic church of Birao still shows the signs of heavy fighting in 2006 when rebels took the town. The FACA, the national army quickly responded with the aid of the French army and retook control of the town. The French still have a base here, though now under the flag of the UN peace troops. On sunday morning many of the French soldiers come to mass here.

25-04-2009


Sam Ouandja, a refugee camp of Darfuri refugees in the east of the Central African Republic. Internally displaced people in Central Africa mostly flee into the bush, where they have to fend for themselves.

Friday, April 24, 2009

24-04-2009 Oubangui river


After a hair raising roller coaster flight trying to avoid a huge thunderstorm we ended up flying at an altitude of 200m, under the storm, following the Oubangui river back to the capital Bangui of the Central African Republic. So I didn't make it to Birao today. Hopefully tomorrow. I only took out my camera after we left the storm, so a peaceful view of a village from low altitude.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

23-04-2009 Bangui

Malnutrition is a serious problem in the Central African Republic. The infant mortality rate at 176 per 1000 is amongst the highest in the world.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Monday, April 20, 2009

19-04-2009 Paoua


Part 2 in the series 'Yummy sources of protein': "Les Grillots" Fried in some oil they're said to be delicious.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

19-04-2009 The future of Paoua


Members of a self defense group in Paoua.
Due to the extreme shortage of police in the Central African Republic, neighborhoods organize their own security. These groups of young men patrol the streets; they settle disputes and prevent petty theft. Some groups outside Paoua are known to clash with rebels regularly.

Friday, April 17, 2009

16-04-2009 Paoua


Humanitarian observers in the North west of the Central African Republic that cycle for hours through the bush to contact internally displaced people that have fled the violence.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

12-04-2009 Central African Republic




A group of children catch flying termites that leave their underground home at the start of the rainy season. They eat them directly, or collect them to be used in dinner. It's a precious source of protein in this extremely poor region of Africa.

11-04-2009 Central African Republic


A school building in Patcho in the Centre of the Central African Republic was used by rebels as a headquarters. Now that the rebels have got a firm grip over the area the population has returned, the school is used again. The students have to look at the graffiti, the rebels left, because there's no money to repaint the building.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

10-03-2009 The Sulphur miners of Ijen


In the crater of the Ijen volcano in Eastern Java (Indonesia) approximately 300 men collect Sulphur that is deposited around a volcanic vent. The red liquid sulphur turns bright yellow when it hardens. the men chop off thick slices. They fill their baskets up to more than 80 kilos. They first have to climb 300m up from the crater floor before descending the mountain to the small factory nearby.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Chernobyl 05-02-2009


On a very rare occasion: myself in a picture. The location is surreal: reactor nr. 4 of the nuclear plant of Chernobyl. This is the reactor that exploded in 1986 and caused the worst ecological disaster in human history.
(Photo by: Aleksander Prugar)

Mukachevo Railway station Early 04-02-2009


Waiting for the train to Kiev.

Ukrainian TV (03-02-09)


Afghan refugee children watch Ukrainian TV.

Hidden Soviet Treasure (02-02-2009)


The Ukrainian railway station on the border with Hungary is a great example of Soviet architecture. Unfortunately it doesn't see much action these days.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Amusement park for men


On a muddy field near the East German village Schoenfelde a dozen of tanks disturb the pastoral silence. A bunch of former East German army officers have set up a ‘tank driving school’. It started as a hobby, but by now, they are open around the year. For 136 Euros anyone can drive a tank through the mud. An ideal amusement park for men! Forty percent of the visitors are women though.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Paris Strange places



In 'Le Musée de Contrefaçon', (the museum of counterfeits) you can find an extensive collection of counterfeited goods that were seized by the French police and customs. The collection ranges from imitation Dior and Louis Vuitton bags and barbie dolls to copied rearview mirrors for Peugeots.