Child Of Africa

I am a child of Africa – Young and wild and free I play on streets of sunny hope And feed on dusty dreams I am a child of Africa – Young and bold and bright I think a million sparkling thoughts And wish on shooting stars I do not want your pity For I am not a helpless pup I do not want your charity For I will thrive at first chance I do not want your mistrust For being young is not a crime I do no want your prejudice For that is your prison not mine You will know me Not by the colour of my skin But by the spectrum of my ideas For I am Africa’s child You will know me Not by the name of my tribe But by the poetry of my ideals For I am Africa’s child I may look young But I am older than you For I was born at the beginning of time I may look weak But I am stronger than you For I was weaned on the milk of the sun I may look simple But I am smarter than you For I was schooled at the knee of wise elders You will know me Not by the poverty of my means But by the wealth of my ends For I am Africa’s child You will know me Not by the shadows of my past But by the brilliance of my future For I am Africa’s child I do not want your visions For I have dreams of my own I do not want your fears For I have monsters enough I do not want your leftovers For I have freshly baked needs I do not want your playthings For I have imagination aplenty I am a child of Africa – Young and shy and sweet I smile to hide my nervous pride And laugh with crystal joy I am a child of Africa – Young and hip and cool I dance my way to destiny And rise on wings of change Copyright: Wayne Visser

Seuls Au Monde

The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope - John Buchan. The Ebrie Lagoon is a long narrow lagoon complex located in the south of Côte d'Ivoire linked to the Atlantic ocean by the Vridi Canal. Once a symbol of tourist attraction and proudly called the “pearl of the lagoons”, it has suffered from years of extensive chemical and organic pollution. Despite this, there is an artisanal fishery on the lagoon, employing about many thousand people with a potential annual catch of around 8,000T (according to FAO).

Smile Of Africa

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, and sometimes your smile is the source of your joy - Thich Nhat Hanh. Smiling is a cross-cultural language that means a lot to the African. It comes natural to the African and does a lot of magic and healing. He's always smiling whether sad, happy or hungry and his smile give hope. Smile costs nothing, but worth a lot.

Feel Like Going Home

The Hmong are an ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. The original home of the Hmong is thought to have been in the Huang He (Yellow River) basin of central China. They were slowly driven southward and marginalized by the expanding population of the Han Chinese.

Catalan Cowboy

From Wikipedia: A mime or mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer would typically be referred to as a mummer. An amazing mine in the street seen in La Rambla, Barcelona.

The Photographer

Every other artist begins with a blank canvas, a piece of paper. The photographer begins with the finished product.

The Travel Photographer

I like to photograph anyone before they know what their best angles are - Ellen Von Unwerth. At the heart of Angkor Thom is the 12th-century Bayon, the mesmerising if slightly mind-bending state temple of Jayavarman VII. It epitomises the creative genius and inflated ego of Cambodia’s most celebrated king. Its 54 Gothic towers are decorated with 216 gargantuan smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara, and it is adorned with 1.2km of extraordinary bas-reliefs incorporating more than 11,000 figures. Around every corner is a chance to take yet another great photo. Bayon is the photographer's dream which comes to reality.

The Surfer

Surfing teaches patience. On land, a surfer cannot will a swell to appear. He has to wait for nature to make the call. So, the surfer waits. He keeps his eyes on the horizon and he waits.

Dreamers

Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.

The Saxophonist

Master your instrument, master your music, then forget all that stuff and just play - Charlie Parker.

Sensual Mystery

Classy is when a woman has everything to flaunt but chooses not to show it.

A Conscientious Artist

Service With A Smile

As the sun sets and the night market sets up, the square of Jemae El-Fna comes alive with music, acrobats, snake charmers and dancers, while the rich smells of spices and street foods drift up from the stalls. On the southern edge of the food stalls, a row of vendors sell a hot, spicy galangal drink (khoudenjal), said to be an aphrodisiac, and usually taken with a portion of nutty cake. That night, one of the stallholders appears to say to anyone: "the smile on my face doesn't mean my life is perfect. It means I appreciate what I have and what God has blessed me with".

Flashback: A Military Tribute

Looking East: Yao Woman

The Yao people are an ethnic minority group in southern and southwestern China. Their communities are concentrated in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; while others are in the provinces of Hunan, Yunnan, Guangdong and Guizhou. With differences in customs, dress styles, architecture and economic activities, there are a number of subgroups within the Yao people, such as Pan Yao, Guoshan Yao and Pingdi Yao, among others. There are also large Yao communities in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, as well as the US, where they immigrated as refugees during and after the Laotian Civil War (1953-1975). Their history in China dates back to the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) when the emperor sent contingents of Han Chinese to explore the wild southwestern frontiers. During the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), native people there were already subject to levies. After the Han Dynasty, there was been frequent contact between the Chinese imperial courts and the people who later came to be known as the “Yao”, literally meaning “kiln”, as they were said to be expert pottery makers. The Yao have their own language. However, linguistic variations in different communities separated by the mountainous regions have diverged in such a way that some of them cannot communicate using their own language. At the same time, they have adopted the writing system of Mandarin Chinese and can speak Mandarin Chinese and the Zhuang language. In 1984, a Romanized writing system was finalized based on lu Mien, a common branch of the language spoken by the Yao people in China, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.

The Monk

I am a simple Buddhist monk - no more, no less.

Khmer Smile

A woman makes and sells kralan on the edge of the road near Siem Reap. Kralan is a traditional Khmer snack of sticky rice, red bean, sugar and coconut milk sealed in a short length of bamboo and cooked over coals.

Connected

We use them constantly. We depend on them for every conceivable purpose. We are familiar with every inch of their compact frames. With more than 1 billion users worldwide and 2.5 million apps — and counting — available across Google and Apple’s digital marketplaces, smartphones are impacting day-to-day life in some surprising ways. Even monks embrace the smartphone age.

The Chairman's Guard

For half a century, Mao Zedong ( 毛澤東 ) has stared down at the throngs who visit Tian'anmen Square. In what is one of the world’s most recognizable portraits, his gaze meets visitors straight on – as it has ever since October 1th, 1967, at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Over the years the portrait has become an archetypal image of the former chairman of the Communist Party of China, yet what many of those who visit today may not appreciate is its subtle difference to an earlier portrayal that once hung in its place. That version, a side-on portrait showing only the left side of Mao’s face, fell out of favor due to fears it suggested he heeded and trusted only one side. Far better the version that remains today, in which Mao looks straight forward, both ears visible, open to all sides.

The Backpacker

The main occupation of the Black Hmong is farming and agriculture. The influx of tourists in Sa Pa region opened up other sources of income by selling to them or working as trekking guides. As a result of both of these additional sources of income, women became earners in the family, often solely shouldering the responsibilities of the household, even as they grew older. Everyday, these women leave their villages around Sa Pa and walk miles to the town for a livelihood, all remarkably in a pair of plastic flip flops.