Category: Photo Stories

The Damaging Impact of Locust Plagues on Pastoralist Communities in Kenya.

HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT, Interview, Photo Stories

Laura James

Key Facts on the 2020 Locust Plagues:

  • The Desert Locust is considered the most destructive migratory pest in the world and a single swarm covering one square kilometre can contain up to 80 million locusts. (FAO)
  • One mega-swarm of locusts detected in 2020 in Kenya covered 240,000 hectares of land, an area the size of Luxembourg. (FAO)
  • At their peak earlier in early 2020, swarms were eating 1.8m tonnes of vegetation a day across 350 sq km the FAO says. (BBC)
  • It was predicted more than 25 million people in east Africa would experience food insecurity in 2020 with the locust infestations compounding the situation. (International Observatory Human Rights)

Georgina Smith is a photojournalist based in Nairobi, Kenya and recently appeared as a guest speaker at one of the Photojournalism Nights online events. At the event she spoke of the impact climate change induced locust plagues are having on pastoralist communities in the County of Isiolo, Kenya. Having grown up in a rural area of Zambia, Georgina has lived in close proximity to the natural environment herself, which is one of the reasons for her investigating this story. Below Georgina answers my questions regarding the locust plagues and highlights how the local pastoralist communities living on the ‘front lines’ of climate change are suffering human rights abuses.

Moses Lomooria, 34, cattle herder, a father of 6. He is also a peace ambassador in his community. He holds dead locusts found near his animals. ©Georgina Smith.

How is climate change linked to the locust plagues in Kenya?

‘With the story that I was working on for the locust invasion most people are saying there was a climate (change) link. This is because the increased heavy rainfall meant that there was more breading going on in the locus populations, so that combined with some other things meant that there was this huge influx of locusts coming into Kenya from other parts of Africa such as Yemen and Somalia. When they arrived in Kenya last year (2019) it was the worst outbreak for 70 years. Most people had never seen them in that many numbers before, so it was quite a shock for people.’ 

What was your motivation for investigating this story?

‘I think it was the fact that at the beginning of 2020 and the end of 2019 there were all these news reports coming in about this invasion and that it was the worst one in 70 years. So that was the broad news story, but I really wanted to dig into it and find out who specifically was being affected as I knew in those areas there are pastoralist communities and they are very vulnerable communities anyways. They really are hit by so many different things; the impact of climate change in a normal year, by so many other elements and the weather. They are very close to the environment and so anything that happens they feel the impacts first.

The plagues also have impacts with regards to security and conflict, because once the food runs out for the animals, those herders have to take their animals to different pastures and perhaps trespass on other lands. So I was interested to show how these communities are struggling with those multiple impacts, and this was the time Covid had just hit so that was another thing. There was all these layers of challenges that they were facing.’

Samburu herders bring home their herds in the evening, in Samburu East sub-county, Samburu county. ©Georgina Smith.

Is the locust plague causing food insecurity there?

‘Yes, so the issue was that the locusts were eating the food for the animals and in this area the community is very dependent on the animals. So if the animals die, which they did, they don’t have meat, milk and they don’t have income as they often rely on the animals for income as well. This created a triple effect in the sense that they basically lost everything. Also, some of the people we spoke to said some of the pesticides that were being sprayed (to kill the locusts) also killed some of the animals, but that hasn’t been verified. In any case the animals were being wiped out so the communities were being put in a very difficult situation.’

Leshidungule, a 30-year old Samburu pastoralist, who narrated how the locusts wiped out animal pasture. ©Georgina Smith.
Young members of 40-year-old Turkana herder Erupe Lobun’s family keep back baby goats in an acacia-thorn cattle pen, so they do not suckle too much. Lack of pasture means their mothers do not have enough milk. ©Georgina Smith.

What type of practices were they putting in place to try and resolve the issue? 

‘So they (the communities) were working with FAO the government to try and spray the locust swarms to stop them from spreading. That was the main effort that was happening. Yet, at the beginning of the pandemic there were some issues around the logistics of getting all of the equipment in place. But then as the pandemic went on that was less of an issue. So that was basically how they were trying to control it, and this was in July 2020. So that was the situation at that time.’

FAO control operations for the vast areas of Samburu, Isiolo, Laikipia and Meru, sprayers are alerted to tackle the desert locusts. ©Georgina Smith.

You mentioned earlier that the communities were having to trespass on land, did this cause conflict?

‘Well we didn’t see anything, but one of the people we spoke with who was a peace-broker as it were, said that she had worked with the communities to try and resolve conflict so it was definitely tense. But I haven’t seen anything as a result of that yet, but I could be wrong as I wasn’t there to see it.’

Josephine Ekiru, peace-building coordinator, Northern Rangelands Trust. She warns of conflict among pastoralist groups due to lack of pasture. ©Georgina Smith.

 Will you be following up with the communities in the future?

‘Yes I think so, I haven’t done anything yet but I hope that it is something I can go back to and revisit as the locust plague is still a big problem at the moment and they didn’t manage to get rid of all of them. They come back once the seasons change so it is this constant cycle. Right now other people are following up with it.’

Is there anything you’d like to add about the communities and the impact this is having on their human rights?

‘I think something to add is that in general the poorest communities are the ones who are dependent on the land and are the ones who face the biggest impacts with regards to climate change. We all see the impact of climate change around the world but it’s the people who are living with the environment, on the front lines, who see these first. I’m sure there are things we can learn from these communities about how we can manage our natural resources and land better so that we don’t make these challenges worse.’

From left, two Samburu warriors talk to thirty two year old Tiampati Leletit. who lost 80 of his goats when the locusts arrived. Now he has an empty pen, since he gave his four remaining goats to a neighbor to look after. ©Georgina Smith.
Locusts. ©Georgina Smith.

Get in Touch

Georgina Smith

Photojournalist
Georgina@shutterinspired.com
http://georginasmith.org/
IG: georgina_smith_photo

Laura James
Writer
Laura@photojournalismhub.org

No more police brutality

Global Protests, Photo Stories

Photos by Deniz Turk

Another death at the hands of police brutality and the world goes on fire: enough is enough. People have descended to the streets demanding justice for George Floyd, who died on May 2nd in Minneapolis, Minnesota after white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while handcuffed and lying face down on the street. The life of another black person so unjustly and mercilessly cut short has touched hearts and angered of millions of people around the world. Large numbers of demonstrations organised by Black Lives Matter and many more globally have demanded justice and the end of police brutality in remembrance for the many who have died because of the colour of their skin.

published on 27th June 2020

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DENIZ TURK
IG: @DenizTurkk
www.denizturk.net

BLACK LIVES MATTER – EUROPE 2020

Featured photographers, Global Protests, Photo Stories, Photojournalism

Paris, France

published on 10 June 2020

Photos by Roberto di Mola

Demonstrators in Paris, France. ©Roberto Di Mola

Paris, 2 June 2020: The demonstration in support of the family of Adama Traoré, a black boy died on 19 July 2016 in the barracks of the “gendarmerie” of Persan ( Val d’Oise), collected more than 20,000 people gathered outside the Court of Paris despite the prohibition of the (Prefecture). An appeal to demonstrate was launched in the previous days by the committee “Justice pour Adama” denouncing a “rejection of justice” in a case that became for its defenders the symbol of the fight against police violence: in four years, three medical investigations have denied the responsibilities of the “gendarmes”, then that a private one ordered by the family of Adama states the opposite.

©Roberto Di Mola

The demonstration follows the spear in recent days of the hashtag #Moiaussijaipeurdevantlapolice and the assassination of the afro-American George Floyd’s in the US. Assa Traoré, sister of Adama, in an interview with Franceinfo said that the death of Floyd recalls that of Adama relaunching this link in another statement issued to BFMTV where he declares that “the indignation denounced in the United States is the same as what happens in France.” After a peaceful start marked by choruses and applause, the police used force to disperse the huge crowd, causing rioting for hours in the area surrounding the Tribunal.

©Roberto Di Mola
©Roberto Di Mola
©Piero Oronzo
©Piero Oronzo
©Piero Oronzo
©Piero Oronzo

Rome, Italy

Photos by Daniele Napolitano

During the Italian National Republic Day on the 2nd June, a group of women stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The name of the group ‘Rete Donne Migranti e Figlie’, literally translating’ Network of Migrant women and daughters’ organised the protest in a significative place; by the monument that remembers the Italian deaths in the Battle of Dogali in 1887 during the Italian colonisation of Eritrea. On the group’s facebook page the aims of the protest are as follow: ‘June 2nd, 2020- there is nothing to praise. Today we celebrate the Italian Republic based on class, gender and race discrimination and on migrants’ exploitation and criminalization.’

London, UK

©GemmaMancinelli
©GemmaMancinelli
©FatimaSanchez
©FatimaSanchez

Photographers:

PIERO ORONZO (Paris, France)
Instagram: overview_videomaking/ /
Facebook: @overview_videomaking

ROBERTO DI MOLA (Paris, France)
Instagram: mirai.mir

DANIELE NAPOLITANO (Rome, Italy)
Website: napolitanodaniele.portfolio.com
Instagram: dani_napo /
Videos: Vimeo

GEMMA MANCINELLI (London, UK)
Instagram: @gemmamancinelli
Facebook: @gemmamanciphoto
Twitter: @gemmamanci

FATIMA SANCHEZ (London, UK)
Instagram: fatimasanchezphoto

Mubashir Hassan: The forgotten future of Kashmir

Featured photographers, Photo Stories

Photos & text by Mubashir Hassan

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©Mubashir Hassan

Kashmir in the last 30 years has been reduced to a land of pain and misery with thousands dead, disappeared, raped, detained and tortured. When an anti-India insurgency began in 1989, the mighty forces that India employed here crushed the rebellion. Since then more than 90,000 people have died and 8,000are disappeared.

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©Mubashir Hassan

The ongoing conflict mounted scars not only on the adults but the new generation. The young children’s were badly affected with hundreds killed, thousands blinded, amputated bodies, and detained in Indian jails.

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©Mubashir Hassan

With more than half a million Indian troops stationed, Kashmir has the distinction of being the most heavily militarized zone in the world. The Indian forces enjoy special powers under laws such as the Armed Forces special Powers Act (AFSPA) that gives them immunity and impunity to arrest or kill anyone on mere suspicion, without the fear of facing legal action.

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©Mubashir Hassan

The turmoil has devastated an entire generation. People have gone through worst in these turbulent times. The story is all about the Children’s who are the Future of Kashmir and a yearning of new generation to live a life of peace and dignity.

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©Mubashir Hassan

The images shot by me are somehow my own childhood experiences, as I grew in such condition seeing things periodically right from the time when rebellion broke out in Kashmir.

Mubashir Hassan
Mubashir Hassan is a freelance photojournalist based in Kashmir valley, India. For the past six year, Mubashir has covered many stories on politics, conflict, human rights violations, as well as day to day life, art, culture and architecture. He is available for assignments.

On the project
‘Children: The forgotten future of Kashmir’ is an ongoing project by photojournalist Mubashir Hassan that focuses on the children living under the conflicted area of Kashmir valley. It documents the impact that the conflict has on their lives; from being physically maimed, psychologically traumatised and deprived of a future. ‘Children: The forgotten future of Kashmir’ is a personal project. It is an important story that needs to be seen and told. If you would like to support Mubashir, please be in touch with him. He is looking for commissions, representation and/or donations, which albeit small would make a huge difference for him. You can get in touch with Mubashir directly on:

Mubashir Hassan
T: +91-   9622663411
E: mubashirhassanpj@gmail.com
Insta: mubashirhassan_images

Quintina Valero: Life after Chernobyl

Featured photographers, Photo Stories

Quintina Valero

In April 2015 I travelled to Ukraine to document the long-lasting implications of Chernobyl’s nuclear disaster for both the environment and the people 30 years after the disaster. The Chernobyl’s accident seems to have been forgotten by society. I wanted to give a voice to the lives of those carrying on with the poisonous legacy of Chernobyl. In my first trip, I visited the 30 km exclusion zone where around 200 people are still living. For my research I interviewed doctors working at the National Institute Cancer Research in Ukraine, NGOs working with victims of Chernobyl and scientists who are studying the DNA modifications both in plants and human beings. I become very interested in remote areas, which are still contaminated by radiation and where people have limited access to hospitals and doctors.

“Life after Chernobyl” portrays life both inside the 30 Km exclusion zone and Narodichi region, 50 km  southwest of the nuclear plant. This turned out to be one of the worst hit areas by radiation but only detected five years later. With my collective “Food of war” we are helping to raise awareness of the Chernobyl’s accident through European exhibitions, talks and conferences. We have also collaborated with artists reflecting on the consumption of food in countries where radiation travelled after the 1986’s accident. Life after Chernobyl is an ongoing project that I would like to develop into a book and a short film.

To know more or would like to support this ongoing project, please follow this link: 

Natalia, school’s teacher stands by the entrance of Maksimovichy village, where many houses were abandoned after Chernobyl’s disaster.
Nastia Natsik with her daughters Iuliana, Madina and Lia in her family house in Khristinovka. Lia, 2 suffers from a brain tumour. Her father,Emil, 37, fled the conflict in Abkhazia (Geogia) when he was eleven, 3 years after Chernobyl’s disaster. Though evacuation was enforced in 1992, many families decided to stay.
Tatiana Ignatiuk in her kitchen in Maksimovichy, where she lives with her three children and husband who works in the forest.
Anna is holding apples from her tree. She lives in the evacuated village of Copachichi in the 30km exclusion zone of Chernobyl.
Dima, 6 years old is waiting to be seen by Alexander and Daniel, two volunteer doctors from Kiev. About 60% of children in Narodichi region suffer from malnutrition alongside cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Children are no longer considered victims of Chernobyl. Ignored by the authorities, many of those children rely on local NGOs and international aid organisations for medical treatment.

Quintina Valero
https://www.quintinavalero.com
@QuintinaV
#quintinavalero/

Gueules Gazées

Featured photographers, Photo Stories, Photojournalism

By Roberto di Mola 

Gueules Gazées is an ongoing documentary series showing the effects of tear gas among
protestors. Grins, runny noses and burning eyes are just the visible effects. According to a study published by the French association of toxicology-chemistry the aftermaths of exposure could be serious and permanent damages might be caused to the nervous system, to the breathing apparatus
and to the sight. Moreover it certifies the presence of small amounts of cyanide potentially
toxic in case of long exposures.

Gueules Gazées tries not only to underline direct consequences of potentially lethal
weapons used against civilians, but it also aims to show people’s strategies to relieve pain
and provide first aid to those affected by the gas. Heavily armed police, LBD, tear gas: are there any other more peaceful means to provide security and safeness in public order policing?

Instagram: #mirai.mir

Paris, June 2020. Milk is often used to alleviate burns that reach the eyes. Here, after
the passage of the demonstrators, milk flows on the street.
Paris, June 2020. A protester makes a grimace of pain.
Paris, June 2020. A protester sprays his face with milk.
Paris, June 2020. A demonstrator receives assistance.
Paris, July 2020. A typical riot police squad: one of them is holding a LBD gun. The
majority of serious injuries are caused by the reckless use of this weapon.
Paris, June 2020. A Parisian café after being attacked with tear gas.
Paris, June 2020. A man trying to get out from the café after the attack.
Paris, June 2020. More and more protesters, aware of the effects, equip themselves with the necessary to provide first aid.

Paris, June 2020.In this case an umbrella is used to better protect themselves from
“toxic winds”.

Paris, July 2020. Another technique is used to curl up against the wind.

Photographs by Roberto di Mola
Instagram: #mirai.mir