Young men dig holes to plant tobacco near Zomba, Malawi. They start work before sunrise to avoid the heat. Women follow them, carrying pipes of water to irrigate the plants. Planting tobacco is thirsty work; it takes around 20 litres to secure each plant in the soil. I'm drawn to photographing silhouettes, and the combination of early morning sunlight and the clouds of dust made for a good source of backlighting. This photograph is currently exhibited at Casa Saraceni Gallery in Bologna, Italy as part of the Syngenta Photography Award international tour. It was also featured in a column written by Bill Gates for the South African daily newspaper Die Burger about the future of Africa. He probably wrote it pro bono. |
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May 2018
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