I’ve always believed that my photography is a collaboration between the subject and myself. What I do is not a simple matter of going and snapping pictures. I feel if there’s one thing that separates my work, it’s the mindset. The tribes of the Omo Valley never really understood photography, even if they did trust me and decide to pose for me. “What’s a white boy coming all the way here for, just to have a copy of our likeness? Is this just what the faranji do?” This project would be a way to share what I do. It was more of a personal sociological experiment than it was a charity, and the results I will remember for the rest of my life.
The tribes of the Omo Valley are changing at a rapid rate. These cultures are on the brink of extinction. Their traditions, language and beliefs are threatened to be lost forever as they are assimilated, acculturated or swallowed into the larger groups of the cities and towns. By giving someone their portrait, you instill a sense of cultural integrity … a sense of connection to heritage, to the ancestors. - Joey Lawrence
Ovation TV premiere this documentary done in conjunction with National Geographic back in September 2010 and tomorrow the program is re-running at 8 am / noon / 4 pm / 11 pm. You can read Joey Lawrence's blog of his experience with this project here.
Ovation TV is on Channel 274 (DirecTV), Channel 157 (Dish Network) and channel 175 on Time Warner here in Los Angeles.
This is wonderful. Thank you for sharing it.
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