The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes. (Marcel Proust)
I am pleased to now be featuring photographs by renowned Mexican photographer Rodrigo Jardon. Rodrigo spent two weeks in the refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, taking photos of the landscape and the Sahrawis that inhabit it. The photographs are not only visually stunning but also give a real insight into the lifestyle in the camps. The images of the buildings and infrastructure allow us to see the amount of development that the Sahrawis have achieved in the 38 years since the camps were established. The portraits, on the other hand, show us that happiness and determination are still forceful entities in the camp, giving hope to a place otherwise shrouded in suffering and loss. Despite what most people would assume the camps are (more often than not) a place of normality, where the steadfastness of the people keep them smiling through the extreme heat and difficult circumstances. These photos help to show that.
Additionally, for anyone interested in learning about Western Sahara through imagery I would thoroughly recommend visiting the website of Irish Photographer Andrew McConnell. His images have appeared internationally in publications such as National Geographic Magazine, Newsweek, Time magazine, The New York Times, The Guardian, FT Magazine, Vanity Fair and the Sunday Times Magazine. He presents a visually stunning account of the refugee camps. See his work on Western Sahara here: http://tinyurl.com/6hkqu7v
As the old saying goes ‘a picture tells a thousand words’. I believe the sharing of images of the refugee camps to be integral to educating and informing people about the conflict in Western Sahara.