Short documentary project captured at the Commuaute des Lauriers in Le Cap Haitien, Haiti. Five single mothers have granted us the privilege to capture their homes and families. This project would not have been possible without my friend Tirza, who is still working towards empowering these women to become self-sustainable.
A mining town for centuries, the town of Potosi in Bolivia has many self organized “cooperativas” and their employees of all ages have been making a living for generations from mining silver, lead and copper, the first being the most lucrative of all three. Working conditions in the mine are hard beyond the imaginable. Miners have to manually extract the minerals with the aid of basic tools. The working environment is full of dust and harmful gases that cause blood and respiratory diseases due to long term exposure. The space is very narrow and constantly dark. Miners, some of them very young, have to work sometimes for more than 15h a day to make ends meet. Chewing coca leaves and alcohol consumption are common consumables to help endure the long hours. According to one of the miners, many in the community suffer from alcoholism, which impact their family life. Divorce rates have been on the rise in Potosi in recent years (statistics to be confirmed). This brief documentary is only a glimpse of the harsh life of miners in Potosi, and probably elsewhere.
Captured between 2021-2022, La Vida En El Campo is a collection of photographs taken in rural parts across Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. From high to low altitude, cultural contrasts are noticeable, but some recurrent themes persist: life conditions are harsh, means are limited, villages are remote, travelling distances are long, and the reliance on livestock is essential to survive. Several days a week, communities living remotely travel to the nearest small towns to buy/sell farm produce, animals, wool, and other goods. The cycle of survival is repeated from birth to death, with often a short life expectancy. Boys soon become men , girls too soon become women. Conscient of their unfortunate fate, new generations are losing interest in staying. An increasing number are breaking up the cycle at the first opportunity, choosing to leave their native villages for larger cities.