Ongoing project: by Kate Thomas. “Take time,” they say in Liberia, when they see you walking too fast, working too hard, squeezing too much into your day. As a writer working in developing countries in West Africa, and elsewhere in the world, I’m interested in different grasps of the concept of time. I could be two hours late to a meeting in Senegal (don’t worry, I try to make that a rarity) and somehow still get there before the other person. In London or New York, by then the day would have long moved on without me. In rural France, waiting for two hours for a bus to turn up … More »

New material from filmmaker Olivier Malvoisin for the European Environment Agency, on the damaging effects of Soil Sealing.  Soil is the earth’s living skin and provides us with the essentials for life on earth: food production, infiltration and cleansing of water and protection against flooding, habitat for plants, areas for recreation and mental health, micro-climate regulation. It’s such a crucial resource that it can’t be ignored. However, particularly in urban areas, soil is being sealed off due to increased demand for housing and infrastructure. Courtesy eea.europa.au

Here are some samples from a series of publications recently designed by Christopher Herwig for the Norwegian Refugee Council. They include thematic reports as well as a Housing, Land and Property series, plus including training guides designed to improve the quality and effectiveness of the humanitarian aid response through improved capacity on housing, land and property issues.          

Introducing friend of Bushtaxi.org Martin Fernando Jakobsen founder of Turntables in the Camps.   Turntables in the Camps  is a project designed to introduce young refugees to the global youth culture of dj-ing and electronic music. Turntables in the Camps conducts workshops and creates dj-ing schools for refugee boys and girls who dream of playing and producing great music but have no resources to do so. The project promotes musical creativity, breaks down boundaries and offers new opportunities for marginalized refugee youths. Visit turntablesinthecamps.org to read more about the project, which has partnered with The Voice of the Streets, a group that brings together political dissident rappers from Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, … More »

The Nobel Peace Prize 2011 was shared between Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian rights activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni Tawakkol Karman ’for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights’. This series of portraits by Christopher Herwig of women of all ages from around the world, and celebrates their achievements and determination to build a better world for all. Locations include Peru, Liberia, Mali, Bangladesh, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. For maximum enjoyment click the full screen icon in the bottom right of the image.

May 2008, web video filmed by Olivier Malvoisin in Rwanda and Mali. The video documents the Eye See Project where children from both countries were given the opportunity to learn how to use a camera and explore new ways of expressing themselves and sharing the world around them.