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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
The Israeli settlement policies in the occupied territories are infamous throughout the world. But that Israel uses the same techniques on its own territory is less known. Even amongst the people it concerns: its own population.
The Galilee, in Northern Israel has always been a predominantly Muslim part of the country. In recent years many new Jewish settlements have sprung up. The idea is to increase the number of Jews in the region. The settlements are strategically positioned in between Arab villages to prevent them from growing towards each other. One of those Jewish communities is Shimshit a pleasant sleep city of 500 young middleclass families. Together with neighbouring Bet Zarzir, an Arab village it's a perfect example of the subtle demographic warfare of Israel.
"The only contact we have with our neighbours is that they steal our bikes and cars," tells Anne vom Stein. "Just kidding", she adds with a cynical grin. "But," she continues with a serious voice, "that is the general mood here towards Muslims in the region."
For the Parisian cultural night, Nuit Blanche, the Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda designed a light installation in front of the Tour Montparnasse, the highest building in Paris. The work of art consisted of a square of ultra powerfull projectors ponting upwards to form a massive beam of light.
I recently moved to Paris. A good reason to start again with my weblog. Yesterday I bumped into what the French are famous for: a demonstration. They say, there are several demonstrations a day in the French capital. I won't be covering them all. But once in a while... This was a protest of employees of "La Poste" against plans to privatize the French postal services. The demonstrators in front of one of the main post offices clearly didn't want to be recognised...
Santo Domingo Savio used to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Medellin not more than 5 years ago. The local authorities have invested heavily in infra-structural improvements and housing projects. The change is impressive. The weather is still great, as always in Medellin.
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