THE HEART OF MYANMAR
Myanmar, formerly Burma only very recently opened its doors to tourism and the country has come under immense scrutiny in the press recently due to the army-led genocide of the Rohinga muslims in the north. Despite its long standing rampant ethnic strife and tumultuous history, Burma was once one of the greatest empires in the world and the people of Myanmar today are warm, open, friendly and peaceful. 89% of the country's population is Buddhist and it is the most religious Buddhist country in terms of the proportion of monks in the population and proportion of income spent on religion. There is enough gold in the famous Shwedagon Pagoda to wipe out the country’s entire debt. This exhibition is a tribute and an insight to the real Myanmar: the people, the customs, and the traditions of a traveler's paradise.
14 March to 25 March 2018
FACES OF THE LAND
The Maasai are an ethnic group inhabiting southern Kenya and Tanzania. They live a traditional, semi-nomadic lifestyle surviving in deserts and scrublands and live almost entirely off the land. Due to their torrid land unable to accommodate crops they must survive on a diet of meat, blood and milk from animals and mielie porridge. Maasai have a fearsome reputation as warriors and cattle-rustlers. Sourcing water and food is a constant threat to their survival. Life for Maasai women in particular is very challenging as women must do all of the physical labour tasks including building and tearing down the houses often with babies strapped to their backs, fetching firewood and water for the entire village, along with the usual household duties of cooking, cleaning, and mothering. Men take care of the shepherding of the cattle and the killing of livestock for food.
Cari Hill spent two weeks living and volunteering with a Maasai village in Amboseli, Kenya, against the impressive backdrop of Mt Kilimanjaro, and a once-weekly six-hour round trip bus drive from the nearest shanty town. With no running water or electricity Cari lived as her hosts lived, carrying out the duties of the women and children and funding the creation of a rain water reservoir, among other initiatives.
The Maasai are an extremely proud race and it is this pride, stoicism, defiance, unique clothing style, sense of identity, and evidence of a hard life that make these portraits so powerful. Their faces give us a glimpse into the lives and personalities of those that survive in an unforgiving terrain and without any of the technology and comforts we take for granted.
14 March to 25 March 2018