Gambia - Victims and Resisters
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The Gambia - Victims, and Resisters of a Regime
To face the past, victims and resisters of the Jammeh regime come forward - #Portraits4PositiveChange
In a global political climate where authoritarian rule is on the rise - where autocratic leaders crush dissent, and opposition, with brutality and little or no regard for human rights - it is essential to keep telling the stories of those who suffered, and those who bravely resisted - who were often one and the same.
'Gambians deserve justice, freedom, and peace' African Fabric Shop - Magie & Bob, GFM donors
Your support will enable us to continue our work, to create an extensive body of portraits of the victims and resisters of the 22-year brutal dictatorship of the Yahya Jammeh’s regime, as a tool for positive change and advocacy... please read on to find out why this is so important...
Jason Florio photographs Ballo Kanteh - an ex-political prisoner, he shows the burns he suffered after melted plastic was dripped onto his skin by Jammeh's hit-squad, the Junglers. Kanteh spent 18-year detention at the notorious Mile 2 prison - for the first two years, he was held in solitary confinement in a pitch dark cell, which has permanently damaged his eyesight. Image © Helen Jones-Florio
_____________
Jason Florio and Helen Jones-Florio : Having worked as documentary photographers in the Gambia for almost 20 years, in the shadow of the dictatorship of President Yahya Jammeh, we knew the dangers, not just for us - but, most especially for Gambians who bravely dared to challenge the often brutal regime.
'Thank you for creating a memory of recent history, a work we can all (should) learn from' Photographer, Michel Delsol, GFM donor
In the latter part of 2016, we crossed the border into Senegal and began photographing and collecting the stories of victims of the Jammeh regime who had fled into hiding there - some with their families - fearing for their lives.
Fatoumatta Sandeng, daughter of murdered Gambian opposition party member, Solo Sandeng. She escaped into exile in Senegal after her father's murder in 2016 at the hands of Jammeh's security services, fearful they would be targeted next. A year after her father's murder, and Jammeh's exile, the perpetrators came forth and disclosed the secret forest grave of her father -
Image © Jason Florio (Senegal, 2016)
__________
A few short months later, after Jammeh’s forced flight into exile, we were able to work freely for the first time as photojournalists, in The Gambia, and so we began to make portraits of the victims and resisters of the regime, who now felt safe enough to come forward.
#Portraits4PositiveChange
As photojournalists, our aim is not just to document and create a record of events but to use our photographs as a tool for positive change and advocacy - giving a platform for the victims and their families, where they can be seen, heard, and honoured.
The portraits will be used as a tool in the reconciliation process to help the people of the Smiling Coast of Africa, as the Gambia is fondly called, to come together and heal, through:
- A billboard publicity campaign in the Gambia
- Exhibitions in the Gambia (the first is scheduled for Jan 21st, 2019, the anniversary of Jammeh's departure) – and internationally
- Local and international media attention
Education for future generations
In the theme of ‘We, Will Never Forget’, the portraits and stories of the victims will form an archive for future generations of Gambians, to preserve their history.
Sainey MK Marenah a dissident Gambian journalist who was the senior correspondent for The Standard newspaper. He was jailed and acquitted after he wrote a story about young supporters of President Jammeh who had defected to the opposition. Despite his acquittal, Jammeh's National Intelligence Agency continued to threaten him, forcing him to flee into exile in neighbouring Senegal ©Jason Florio (Senegal 2016)
___________
We need your help
Your support will enable us to continue our work, to create an extensive body of portraits of the victims – our goal for this next mission to the Gambia is to produce 100 to 150 portraits over a 6 week period (beginning Dec 2018 -Jan 2019) for #Portraits4PositiveChange
January 2017 - Deposed dictator, Jammeh, leaves the Gambia for exile in Equatorial Guinea.
Image © Jason Florio 'Gambia Has Decided'
Yahya Jammeh ruled the Gambia for 22 years and vowed,
"I will rule for a billion years if Allah wills it"
A brief history of Jammeh’s time in power
From 1994 -2017 President Yahya Jammeh ruled the Gambia, West Africa, as his own personal fiefdom, crushing dissent, and opposition, with brutality. His personal hit squad and intelligence agency carried out tortures, and assassinations with impunity - journalists were gunned down and disappeared, ministers were jailed, students shot in cold blood, and even his own brother and sister were murdered on his order.
Since Jammeh's exile, over 1000 victims have registered with the 'Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations', a non-profit created by victims to advocate for truth, justice, and reconciliation for all victims whose rights were violated by the Jammeh regime.
Sarjo Manneh, holding a picture of his son, Chief Ebrima Manneh, with President Yahya Jammeh. Chief wrote an article about term lengths for Gambian presidency, and soon afterwards he was abducted and later murdered, informants said, on Jammeh's instructions. To this day, his body has never been found - Image © Jason Florio
________________
Ngoi Njie was picked up by Gambia's feared NIA and tortured along with other Gambians who were protesting on April 14th, 2016 for electoral reform, including activist Solo Sandeng whose tragic death she witnessed at the hands of Yahya Jammeh's hit squad known as the Junglers ©Jason Florio
_____________
Why this means so much to us
This project is especially close to our hearts as, after 20 years we consider the Gambia our second home, and we have many friends and acquaintances who have suffered, and lost loved ones, under Jammeh's ruthless autocracy. This work is an opportunity for us to give back to a country and a people whom we have grown very close to - now that we too can speak freely, without risk of retribution, we feel it's essential that these stories are heard.
We will personally cover our time and living costs, for 6 weeks whilst in the Gambia, but we are kindly asking for support to cover the bare bones expenses only - even a $5 donation will help us get closer to our goal. Your donations will enable us to gather and share these incredibly important stories, to support the victims and their campaign to bring Jammeh to justice .
With your help, we will be back in the Gambia to begin working on the portraits by 1st December 2018
#Portraits4PositiveChange - Expenses:
Return Flights x 2 – London-Banjul
Local fixers/translators/researchers - Gambia
Local transcriber - Gambia
Local accommodation - Gambia
Local transport (car/driver/fuel) - Gambia
Portrait prints - a gift - for each subject we photograph (100-150 people)
Exhibition printing
_______________
*To keep costs down, we won't be offering any fancy gifts. BUT, if you supply us with your contact details, when you make your donation, we will send you a hand-made postcard, all the way from the Gambia*
The wife and son of Harouna Jammeh, who was murdered along with his sister on the orders of his brother, former president Yahya Jammeh. Harouna's daughter, Ayeshah Jammeh, has since co-founded the 'Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations' - Image ©Jason Florio
________________
Please help to spread the word
For any support –however small - we will be eternally grateful. Furthermore, we need all the help we can get. So, even if you aren’t in a position to donate, then your support in sharing this with your friends, on social media - Facebook, Twitter, etc. – would be amazing and much appreciated!
We'll keep you updated on a regular basis
Thank you so much / abaraka bakeh!
Jason & Helen
#Portraits4PositiveChange
A little bit about the two of us:
Jason Florio
Is an award-winning photojournalist - he was the recipient of a Magnum Photography Award 2017 for his extensive body of work on migration: 'Destination Europe ' - filmmaker, and writer. His focus has been towards under-reported stories about people living on the margins of society and human rights.
floriophoto.com
Helen Jones-Florio
Is a photographer, producer, videographer, and writer. She has been travelling to West Africa for almost 20 years. She co-led, with Jason, the first recorded circumnavigation of theGambia by foot and the first recorded source-seaRiver Gambia expedition . She is the co-founder of the ‘Photos Tell Stories' photography workshops, and has created and produced extensive content for their expedition blogs.
Photostellstories.org
Let's Get Social:
Twitter -floriophotoNYC
Instagram - @jasonflorio / @floriotravels
Facebook - Jason Florio / PhotosTellStories
Helen & Jason Florio - Photo credit: Marcin Seweryn Andrzejewski , the Gambia, 2017
To face the past, victims and resisters of the Jammeh regime come forward - #Portraits4PositiveChange
In a global political climate where authoritarian rule is on the rise - where autocratic leaders crush dissent, and opposition, with brutality and little or no regard for human rights - it is essential to keep telling the stories of those who suffered, and those who bravely resisted - who were often one and the same.
'Gambians deserve justice, freedom, and peace' African Fabric Shop - Magie & Bob, GFM donors
Your support will enable us to continue our work, to create an extensive body of portraits of the victims and resisters of the 22-year brutal dictatorship of the Yahya Jammeh’s regime, as a tool for positive change and advocacy... please read on to find out why this is so important...
Jason Florio photographs Ballo Kanteh - an ex-political prisoner, he shows the burns he suffered after melted plastic was dripped onto his skin by Jammeh's hit-squad, the Junglers. Kanteh spent 18-year detention at the notorious Mile 2 prison - for the first two years, he was held in solitary confinement in a pitch dark cell, which has permanently damaged his eyesight. Image © Helen Jones-Florio _____________
Jason Florio and Helen Jones-Florio : Having worked as documentary photographers in the Gambia for almost 20 years, in the shadow of the dictatorship of President Yahya Jammeh, we knew the dangers, not just for us - but, most especially for Gambians who bravely dared to challenge the often brutal regime.
'Thank you for creating a memory of recent history, a work we can all (should) learn from' Photographer, Michel Delsol, GFM donor
In the latter part of 2016, we crossed the border into Senegal and began photographing and collecting the stories of victims of the Jammeh regime who had fled into hiding there - some with their families - fearing for their lives.
Fatoumatta Sandeng, daughter of murdered Gambian opposition party member, Solo Sandeng. She escaped into exile in Senegal after her father's murder in 2016 at the hands of Jammeh's security services, fearful they would be targeted next. A year after her father's murder, and Jammeh's exile, the perpetrators came forth and disclosed the secret forest grave of her father - Image © Jason Florio (Senegal, 2016)
__________
A few short months later, after Jammeh’s forced flight into exile, we were able to work freely for the first time as photojournalists, in The Gambia, and so we began to make portraits of the victims and resisters of the regime, who now felt safe enough to come forward.
#Portraits4PositiveChange
As photojournalists, our aim is not just to document and create a record of events but to use our photographs as a tool for positive change and advocacy - giving a platform for the victims and their families, where they can be seen, heard, and honoured.
The portraits will be used as a tool in the reconciliation process to help the people of the Smiling Coast of Africa, as the Gambia is fondly called, to come together and heal, through:
- A billboard publicity campaign in the Gambia
- Exhibitions in the Gambia (the first is scheduled for Jan 21st, 2019, the anniversary of Jammeh's departure) – and internationally
- Local and international media attention
Education for future generations
In the theme of ‘We, Will Never Forget’, the portraits and stories of the victims will form an archive for future generations of Gambians, to preserve their history.
Sainey MK Marenah a dissident Gambian journalist who was the senior correspondent for The Standard newspaper. He was jailed and acquitted after he wrote a story about young supporters of President Jammeh who had defected to the opposition. Despite his acquittal, Jammeh's National Intelligence Agency continued to threaten him, forcing him to flee into exile in neighbouring Senegal ©Jason Florio (Senegal 2016)___________
We need your help
Your support will enable us to continue our work, to create an extensive body of portraits of the victims – our goal for this next mission to the Gambia is to produce 100 to 150 portraits over a 6 week period (beginning Dec 2018 -Jan 2019) for #Portraits4PositiveChange
January 2017 - Deposed dictator, Jammeh, leaves the Gambia for exile in Equatorial Guinea. Image © Jason Florio 'Gambia Has Decided'
Yahya Jammeh ruled the Gambia for 22 years and vowed,
"I will rule for a billion years if Allah wills it"
A brief history of Jammeh’s time in power
From 1994 -2017 President Yahya Jammeh ruled the Gambia, West Africa, as his own personal fiefdom, crushing dissent, and opposition, with brutality. His personal hit squad and intelligence agency carried out tortures, and assassinations with impunity - journalists were gunned down and disappeared, ministers were jailed, students shot in cold blood, and even his own brother and sister were murdered on his order.
Since Jammeh's exile, over 1000 victims have registered with the 'Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations', a non-profit created by victims to advocate for truth, justice, and reconciliation for all victims whose rights were violated by the Jammeh regime.
Sarjo Manneh, holding a picture of his son, Chief Ebrima Manneh, with President Yahya Jammeh. Chief wrote an article about term lengths for Gambian presidency, and soon afterwards he was abducted and later murdered, informants said, on Jammeh's instructions. To this day, his body has never been found - Image © Jason Florio________________
Ngoi Njie was picked up by Gambia's feared NIA and tortured along with other Gambians who were protesting on April 14th, 2016 for electoral reform, including activist Solo Sandeng whose tragic death she witnessed at the hands of Yahya Jammeh's hit squad known as the Junglers ©Jason Florio _____________
Why this means so much to us
This project is especially close to our hearts as, after 20 years we consider the Gambia our second home, and we have many friends and acquaintances who have suffered, and lost loved ones, under Jammeh's ruthless autocracy. This work is an opportunity for us to give back to a country and a people whom we have grown very close to - now that we too can speak freely, without risk of retribution, we feel it's essential that these stories are heard.
We will personally cover our time and living costs, for 6 weeks whilst in the Gambia, but we are kindly asking for support to cover the bare bones expenses only - even a $5 donation will help us get closer to our goal. Your donations will enable us to gather and share these incredibly important stories, to support the victims and their campaign to bring Jammeh to justice .
With your help, we will be back in the Gambia to begin working on the portraits by 1st December 2018
#Portraits4PositiveChange - Expenses:
Return Flights x 2 – London-Banjul
Local fixers/translators/researchers - Gambia
Local transcriber - Gambia
Local accommodation - Gambia
Local transport (car/driver/fuel) - Gambia
Portrait prints - a gift - for each subject we photograph (100-150 people)
Exhibition printing
_______________
*To keep costs down, we won't be offering any fancy gifts. BUT, if you supply us with your contact details, when you make your donation, we will send you a hand-made postcard, all the way from the Gambia*
The wife and son of Harouna Jammeh, who was murdered along with his sister on the orders of his brother, former president Yahya Jammeh. Harouna's daughter, Ayeshah Jammeh, has since co-founded the 'Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations' - Image ©Jason Florio ________________
Please help to spread the word
For any support –however small - we will be eternally grateful. Furthermore, we need all the help we can get. So, even if you aren’t in a position to donate, then your support in sharing this with your friends, on social media - Facebook, Twitter, etc. – would be amazing and much appreciated!
We'll keep you updated on a regular basis
Thank you so much / abaraka bakeh!
Jason & Helen
#Portraits4PositiveChange
A little bit about the two of us:
Jason Florio
Is an award-winning photojournalist - he was the recipient of a Magnum Photography Award 2017 for his extensive body of work on migration: 'Destination Europe ' - filmmaker, and writer. His focus has been towards under-reported stories about people living on the margins of society and human rights.
floriophoto.com
Helen Jones-Florio
Is a photographer, producer, videographer, and writer. She has been travelling to West Africa for almost 20 years. She co-led, with Jason, the first recorded circumnavigation of theGambia by foot and the first recorded source-seaRiver Gambia expedition . She is the co-founder of the ‘Photos Tell Stories' photography workshops, and has created and produced extensive content for their expedition blogs.
Photostellstories.org
Let's Get Social:
Twitter -floriophotoNYC
Instagram - @jasonflorio / @floriotravels
Facebook - Jason Florio / PhotosTellStories
Helen & Jason Florio - Photo credit: Marcin Seweryn Andrzejewski , the Gambia, 2017
Organizer
Helen Jones-Florio
Organizer
New York, NY