Mustafah Abdulaziz | mustafah@wearemjr.com
Robert August | rob@wearemjr.com
Matthew Craig | matt@wearemjr.com | Wall Street, NYC at 8AM
Our first showcase is by Mikko Takkunen, a 28-year-old Finnish photographer. I Skyped it up with Mikko while he was in London. Here is the interview and here is Mikko’s essay on adult literacy and daily life after the civil war in Sierra Leone.
LARGO, Sierra Leone - There is a huge demand for the adult literacy classes and not everybody can be guaranteed a place. Mr. Shaku Bockari, adult literacy class participant in Largo, south eastern Sierra Leone, is one of the lucky ones.
MANDU, Sierra Leone - Young boys going home after helping their fathers with burning the bush. There are no tractors, and burning the bush is the common way to clear fields for farming.
MAMBOMA, Sierra Leone - Despite working long hours, the miners can only afford a very simple lunch, in this case raw cassava root with red palm oil.
MAMBOMA, Sierra Leone - One of the reasons behind the civil war was the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels’ desire to control the diamonds mining areas. Diamonds continue to be a huge business in Sierra Leone, but very few Sierra Leonese ever get to experience any of the luxury associated with the precious stones in the West. Diamond pit owner Mr. Umaru Jalloh shows off the green diamonds which he will eventually sell to the diamond dealers in Bo.
Sierra Leone - Boy watches the dying bush fire along the highway between Bo and Freetown.
LARGO, Sierra Leone - Adult literacy class in Largo.
BO, Sierra Leone - Fatmata Sheriff and her daughter Precious. Fatmata lost both of her parents during the civil war and afterwards ended up living on the streets of the country’s second biggest city, B,o and prostituring herself to make ends meet. She became pregnant by one of her customers three years ago. Precious is now 2 years old and brings her everyday to the hairdressing workshop she is attending to learn a profession Fatmata, as there is nobody else to look after Precious.
LARGO, Sierra Leone - Poor adult literacy is a huge problem in Sierra Leone. Fortunately, some international NGOs have started to run adult literacy classes. Many of classes across the country are held in the evenings as the time is more appropriate for the participants with family responsibilities. There is no electricity and at night the students must use candles, lanterns, and torches.
BO, Sierra Leone - Fatmata Kamara, 20, lost both of her parents during the war. She never went to school as a child, but is now attending a tailoring workshop and learning to read and write in a center meant for youth affected by the war.
GBINDI - Sierra Leone - The daughter of Mr. Alpha JJ Jagetay seen under a torch light just before having supper. The village of Gbindi where the Jagetay family lives, has no electricity as do not most places outside the capital Freetown.
Copyright © 2008, Mikko Takkunen.
So here’s the idea.
You have pictures, we have a blog. The future of photography is continually shifting and while things may seem foggy now, what we’re absolutely certain about here at MJR is that pictures should be first and foremost seen.
So we’ll be showcasing essays and series from emerging non-member photographers in all areas of the field, from photojournalism to fashion to travel and weddings. That likely means you.
Of course you retain all copyright. We’re not silly like some places.
First Showcase comes tomorrow. Good luck!
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Here are the details:
- Brief synopsis of your career. Include contact info, age, website, email, etc.
- 12-15 images (captions in IPTC).
- Images dimensions must be 725 pixels wide at 72dpi and labeled “initials_mjr_showcase_00x” so they should read as “mja_mjr_showcase_001, mja_mjr_showcase_002″ etc.
Send all submissions to hello@wearemjr.com
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What results when a Chicago-based label invests in a six-piece house band and four of the most undervalued soul singers the South has never seen? The Rabbit Factory Soul Revue.
On a lazy Sunday afternoon at McCarren Pool, four tremendously talented Southern soul singers exuded an over zealous nature through neglected masterpieces of the golden age. These stars lost their luster long ago yet, collectively, they embody the very spirit of the genre. And for that reason they are the unsung heroes of their era.
Clad in rather rakish, debonair looks, Herbert Wiley, Herman Hitson, Roscoe Robinson and Ralph “Soul” Jackson took turns preaching the good word like a rector. Each one was as authoritative and thoroughly convincing as the next, belting out notes as if they were still in their heyday. Everything, from Wiley’s striking cheshire cat-like grin to Roscoe Robinson’s dalmatian print suit to Ralph “Soul” Jackson’s gratuitous weave, seemed genuine in its way.
But the caliber of these heavily overlooked gospel-infused soul tunes merely magnified the absurdities at hand. These men had shared time with legendary acts, like Jimi Hendrix, the Isley Brothers, Spooner Oldham and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Each man had as much talent, if not more, than their hallowed predecessors and yet they had struggled to make it here even.
And, perhaps even more disconcerting, the majority, if not all, of the attendees had very little conception of who these skillful singers were. Channeling the soulful spirit of James Brown and Ronald Isley is one thing, but actually having been a part of that movement in its glory days is an entirely different story. Still, Wiley, Hitson, Robinson and Jackson took to the stage as if they had never been lost in the shuffle to begin with.
While most musicians’ prowess atrophies from lack of use, these fine Southern gentlemen seemed to be suspended in time and virtually unaffected by time passing them up. The fervency with which they sang forced onlookers to believe that they were classics unto themselves. And nothing could be closer to the truth.
Joshua Pressman for MJR, Photography by Matthew Craig
This is the first of many crossovers with bloggers we love.
Josh is a Brooklyn based music writer. www.bwank.com
Many thanks to JELLYNYC for the access, and Dewars for the free booze.