In February, I went to Bangladesh with Esther Flores-Sedman where we closely watched how climate change affects the poorest people. On Sunday, the Red Cross shows a slide show that I made with stories from some of the people we met and were forced to escape from the climate.

I have always wanted to travel through the Transibirian railroad. Now i have done it. I do not really know what I had for expectations before the trip, but it was a mysterious experience. The train was quite inconvenient, and the cabins were small. Sometimes we shared a cabin with others, but we also had our own cabin with a double bed. We met people from every corner of the world, all with different dreams but with one thing in common; we all loved to travel. The train from Moscow to Irkutsk in eastern Siberia took four days. We stayed there for a couple of days at the Baikal Lake before we proceeded to Mongolia. In Mongolia, we lived in Gun Galute Nature Reserve and went on a trip before leaving Beijing. 

The last trip we met this amazing woman, Gabi Tovagyl. She worked in the tram and cooked soup on a small hotplate between the trolleys. She worked extremely hard but was happy to have a job. I sent a couple of pictures to her and I think she was pleased that someone noticed how hard she was working. A warm and nice woman I hope to see someday.

In August, I will have a meeting with Diakonia about an eventual exhibition with my pictures and Esther's films from Bangladesh. The picture to the right represents one of the families we met and who suffered hard from the cyclone Aila and also climate change. Diakonia operates a major campaign for climate justice and hopefully there will also be an exhibition about the climate change's major impact on the poor population in Bangladesh. 

It is the rich countries that historically has caused rthe largest emissions of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. But it is in the poor countries that the consequences are the greatest. I hope the world's leaders take their responsibility and come up with a fair climate agreement. Perhaps an exhibition about the climate situation in Bangladesh can contribute to the impact work that Diakonia operates. 

Long time, no see! This week I photographed the Hiphop singer Linda Pira where she grew up in Hässelby Strand. The picture will be on the cover of the next issue of Situation Stockholm, which will be released in late July.
I've never been a fan of Hiphop before the new wave of female hip hop artists took off. Artists like Linda Pira, Silvana Imam, Kumba, Cleo, Kristin Amparo and more have come a long way in recent years. Tough brides in a highly dominated music genre.

Linda Pira spoke about an adult world who betrayed when she needed the most help. Today she has taken revenge and shown that you can be successful even though nobody seems to believe in you. Read about Linda Pira in future issue of Situation Stockholm!


 

Last seven weeks, I've experienced so much that it's enough for a whole year. It's hard to summarize but I try:

Bangladesh, South Africa Madagascar, salted land, cyclones, Bengal tigers, friendly smiles, goats,chickpeas, local fish, a forgotten camera, dust layer on the skin, a lost suitcase, climate change, gratitude, riverboat, airplane, rischa, cassava leaves, smoked crustaceans, terracotta ground, monsoon rain, lemurs, rainforest, chili, vanilla, carnations, coral cairn, poverty, hip hop, jazz, sun, penguins, stories, strong reports, thousands of pictures, memories for life.

For a long time I have worked with a photo project about bodies. From the beginning, the idea was to photograph all possible bodies with flaws and show them as gigantic prints on galleries. Unfortunately, I'm stuck and do not really come forward with the project. To photograph naked bodies in a new and interesting way is extremely difficult. It has been done countless times before, while nudity is linked with so many values ​​that are interpreted when viewing the pictures; gender, sexuality, power and so on. This day I came across a website with amazing paintings on naked women. They are very photographic in their expression and show older naked women with picky and old bodies. The women radiate freedom and a feeling of fully accepting their bodies. They are painted completely without sexual undertones. Unfortunately, the female body is usually configured based on a male look, an object to value based on its beauty and ability to please. I do not know how to proceed with my project about bodies, maybe it will eventually be something else. Regardless of what I was immensely inspired by this talented painter named Aleah Chapin.

See her pictures here: http://www.aleahchapin.com

I often consider myself to have the best profession in the world. There are endless opportunities to travel and meet people from all corners of the world if you are prepared to work for it. In a couple of weeks, I and Maria will go on our next  journey to South Africa and Madagascar. We have sold five stories and hopefully there will be more. I have also been asked if I want to go to Bangladesh for a week with Diakonia and document their climate projects there.