21.10.09
Category: Africa, DDG, Relief workPhotographer Pete Muller has visited DRC and DDG programmes in Somalia and Somaliland. The silent beauty of the pictures reflects the hope and dedication of Somalis committed to a brighter future.
Photographer Pete Muller found new inspiration in war-torn Somalia where refugees are benefitting from Danish Refugee Council’s revolving funds and income generation programmes. On the same trip he visited Somaliland where the Danish Demining Group is battling post-conflict effects such as widespread private ownership of small arms and explosive remnants of war.
“This is one of my favorite images from Somalia. It was made in a remote and sparsely populated displacement camp on the outskirts of Hargeisa. I always enjoy family portraits and believe that this image should be considered as part of that category. I often enjoy the expressions and body language of children as they are less apt to mask their feelings. I think that this picture is an invitation to wonder about the lives and experiences of others. The children are looking directly at the viewer, as we look directly at them. They obviously live in deep poverty, which can be shocking to those of us who grew up in the west. I wonder if they might be shocked by elements of our lifestyle“, says Pete Muller.
“This picture is perhaps the best illustration of the harsh beauty that exists so prevalently throughout Somaliland. The country is inhospitable and its people have experienced tremendous hardship. The people seem to actively combat the arid, war-torn and impoverished conditions through their use of color both in clothing and decoration. Amid the barren landscape, one is constantly drawn to women donning vibrantly colored attire which dance in the desert winds. Homes and doors are painted in radiant shades in an affront to their bleak surroundings. Their willingness to create beauty in such harsh conditions is commendable.”
Pete Muller is an engaged photographer and previous pictures from DDG programmes in Uganda has been used to expose the important mine-clearing effort in the Danish Medias.
