https://ricfrancis.net/ 2026-04-25 weekly 1.0 https://ricfrancis.net/about-me 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://ricfrancis.net/contact 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://ricfrancis.net/home 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/features_16.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes An Afro-Bolivian woman, Irma Medina, 45, pauses while walking up a hill to her home. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_02_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Two young Afro-Bolivian girls stroll home with a bedsheet filled with freshly picked oranges. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_03_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes An Afro-Ecuadorian family and neighbors relax on the porch. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_04_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes An Afro-Bolivian woman sits on her porch in the lush Yungas Valley. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_05_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Peruvian neighbors pose for a photograph. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/features_123.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes A 12-year old Argentine girl masquerades in blackface as an Afro-Latino prostitute to solicit money from tourists; throughout the region there is an insensitivity to such negative depictions of blacks. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/UNEXPECTED_FACES_15_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Activists hand out leaflets denouncing the racist depiction of Afro-Peruvians on national television shows. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/afro_latinos_04_website.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Claudio Martin, 37, right, works as a doorman at a casino. While race is used to exclude it is also used to symbolize servitude: Afro-Peruvian men are highly sought for jobs as doormen, under the belief that their skin color lends an aura of elegance to such occupations. Discrimination against blacks is strong hence job opportunities are limited. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_10_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Eduardo Castillo answers his cellphone as his brother Victor Castillo struggles under the weight of a heavy coffin. While race is used to exclude it is also used to symbolize servitude: Afro-Peruvian men are highly sought to work as pallbearers (a vocational identity known as Camalenque) - clad in tuxedos and white gloves at the most upscale funerals - under the belief that their skin-color lends an aura of elegance to the job. On May 18, 2010 Peru's Ministry of Culture denounced the practice of the Camalenque as racist and requested - to no avail - that the mortuary business end the service. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_11_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes A worn and faded hand-drawing, created by Dayana Rene Ballivian, 9, hangs outside her family’s home that reads: “My mother is negro, my father is negro and so am I - I am proud.” In 2009 Afro-Bolivians won a moral victory when the Bolivian government - which had always denied their existence - publicly apologized and formally acknowledged them as citizens; this occurred under the administration of Evo Morales, the countries first indigenous president. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_13_web_b.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Martha Rey, second from right, an Afro-Argentine, along with Miguelina Monzon, distributes religious literature to homeless men waiting for a meal outside a church. "Contrary to common belief all blacks living in Argentina are not foreigners," said Ms. Rey in response to the opinion that blacks in Argentina were not citizens. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_14_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes An Afro-Peruvian music and dance group (Pinta y Canela), performs for patrons at a restaurant. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/afro_latinos_12_toned.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes After celebrating the Virgen del Carmen with a Catholic mass and procession neighbors party into the late evening. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/afro_latinos_05_website.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes An Afro-Peruvian woman enters the remnants of her home, which was destroyed by a 2007 earthquake. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_16_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes As the sun goes down several Afro-Bolivian children play soccer. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_17_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Several Afro-Peruvian men relax over a game of cards in the northern region near the border with Ecuador. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_18_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Afro-Bolivians and indigenous neighbors participate in a ceremony marking a religious festival ('Fiesta de San Benito'). https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/afro_latinos_17_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Peruvians participate in a procession honoring Our Lord of Miracles (Senor de los Milagros). It's the country's most widely attended religious event. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/afro_latinos_10_website.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes An Afro-Bolivian woman observes church service with her daughters. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_21_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Gold miners wait for buckets of ore to be handed to them at an open-pit mine. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_22_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Maria Yuly, 25, washes clothes as several gold miners relax overhead during their morning break. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_23_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Juana Vasquez, 71, picks coca leaves in the lush hills of the Yungas Valley, a tiny community made up mostly of Afro-Bolivians. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/afro_latinos_13resized.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Exhausted from picking coca leaves Juana Vasquez, 71, chats with her 7-year old grandson after preparing his lunch. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/afro_latinos_07_website.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Jose Castillo, 17, left, navigates as his father Vicente Castillo, 68, bails out water that is leaking into the boat. Justiña Ayovi, 58, is a passenger. The Castillos use the boat as a taxi to service communities along the Santiago and Cayapas Rivers. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_25_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes An Afro-Bolivian hunter returns home at dusk. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_26_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes As evening falls adults assist a younger family member with her homework - the house does not have electricity. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/features_192.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes An Afro-Peruvian man, at a voting station, receives instruction on where to cast his ballot in Peru's 2011 presidential election. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/ricf_63_colombia_website.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Yani Andrea Mina, 17-years old, plays with her 5-month old daughter, Mailin Andrea Mina, while her grandmother walks down the hall. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/UNEXPECTED_F_WEB_25.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes An Afro-Bolivian dance troupe performs for churchgoers during a celebration marking a religious festival ('Fiesta de San Benito'). https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/afro_latinos_28_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes An Afro-Bolivian woman pauses on a hilltop to observe the view. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/afro_latinos_29_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Several boys observe a rainbow as the sun sets. https://ricfrancis.net/aftershock---chile 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_04.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 8, 2010 - The community of Dichato was hit by a tsunami which was caused by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_01.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 8, 2010 - A Chilean flag hangs over the devastated community of Dichato. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_18.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 4, 2010 - Chileans view an apartment building which was toppled by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake. According to the investigative police (PDI - Policia de Investigaciones) seven were killed in the collapse and six missing. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_12.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 8, 2010 - Alojo Valderrama, 58, removes a broken bathroom fixture from his home. The water line in this second-floor room reveals the height of the tsunami waves. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_08.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 5, 2010 - Chilean citizens wait in line for water amidst the rubble caused by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_07.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 5, 2010 - A passerby, who declined to be identified, opens a soda he found inside a destroyed store. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_06.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 5, 2010 - Talcahuano, Chile - A Chilean policeman keeps watch for looters days after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_05.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 5, 2010 - A Chilean soldier examines a gas tank where the detained men in the background were illegally siphoning gasoline; the men were released after a warning. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_19.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 5, 2010 - A Chilean policeman observes a woman as she complains about being accused of looting. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_02.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 8, 2010 - This tent community, on high grounds, was created for families whose homes were destroyed by a tsnami. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_WEB_21.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 8, 2010 - Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, second from right, meets with residents whose homes were destroyed or badly damaged. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_09.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 6, 2010 - Ricardo Vegas, 45, left, who lost his home as a result of the earthquake, and a neighbor Blanca Otarola, 48, search for clothing at a donation center. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_10.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 6, 2010 - This crack in the ground was caused by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_11.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 8, 2010 - Roberto Baeza, 65, collects wood on Dichato's debris-filled beach. The mess is the result of a tsunami created by an 8.8-magnitude hurricane, which also destroyed Baeza's home. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_14.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 8, 2010 - Karen Sarate, 25, left, and Mariela Gallegos, 30, contemplate how to remove a mattress from the trappings of their home. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_13.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 8, 2010 - A soldier guards a container, washed ashore by a tsunami, filled with toxic chemicals. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_AFTERMATH_15.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 8, 2010 - Residents walk through the debris-filled streets. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CHILE_EARTHQ_01.jpg Aftershock - Chile March 8, 2010 - The community of Dichato was devastated by a tsunami. https://ricfrancis.net/bolivian-coca-farmer 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer01.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Juana Vasquez, 71, a coca farmer, picks coca leaves in Tocana, a tiny community made up mostly of Afro-Bolivians in the lush Yungas Valley. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer02.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Ms. Vasquez picks coca leaves. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer03.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Coca leaf farmer Ms. Vasquez in the field. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer05.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Coca leaf farmer Juana Vasquez, 71. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer06.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Ms. Vasquez heads home to make lunch for her grandchildren. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer07.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Coca leaf farmer Ms. Vasquez. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer10.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes The Yungas Valley - home to Afro-Bolivians. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer08.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Coca leaf farmer Ms. Vasquez in the lush Yungas Valley. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer11.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Ms. Vasquez spreads her freshly picked coca leaves out to dry. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer12.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Coca leaves dry in the sun. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer13.jpg Afro-Lations in the Andes Exhausted from working in the field Ms. Vasquez talks with her grandson. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Bolivian_Coca_Farmer15.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Ms. Vasquez relaxes outside her home after spending all day in the field. https://ricfrancis.net/el-camalenque---pallbearers 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalengue_10_resized.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers Under the glare of television cameras Afro-Peruvian men (working as camalenque - a vocational identity) carry the casket of slain Peruvian Stephany Flores. Joran van der Sloot, of Holland, confessed to her killing. Afro-Peruvian men are highly sought to carry coffins at the most upscale funerals in Peru. Clad in tuxedos and white gloves they are hired under the belief that their skin-color lends an aura of elegance to the job. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/v9gmcqok_q7ffazhd_5hjim9_camalenque_02_resized.jpg El Camalenque - Pallbearers | Ric Francis View El Camalenque - Pallbearers by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalengue_05_resized.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers Edwardo Alexander Rivas, 24, left, and a cousin get dressed as they prepare to work as camalenque at a funeral. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalenque_4_web.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers Several young men, who are related by family, prepare to work as camalenque. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalengue_03_resized.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers Eduardo Castillo, right, his brother Victor Castillo, center, and Carlos Coychea prepare for a funeral assignment. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalenque_06_web.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers While waiting for a cab to take them to a funeral service Edwardo Alexander Rivas, right, tries to pick up young women as Victor Castillo stands nearby. During the wait Rivas, 24, spent the entire time trying to speak with young and mature women. "I just love women, young or old it doesn't matter," explained Rivas. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalenque_07_alt_web.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers Several Afro-Peruvians take cabs to a camalenque assignment. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalenque_07_web.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers An Afro-Peruvian buffs his shoes. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalengue_08_resized.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers Working as camalenque, several Afro-Peruvians prepare to remove a casket from a church as a funeral service draws to a close. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalenque_01_resized_01.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers A family member tosses flower petals onto the casket as it is carried to a hearse. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalenque_10_web.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers Afro-Peruvians and family of the deceased take the casket to a hearse. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalengue_11_resized.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers Eduardo Genaro Rivas Castillo answers his cellphone as his brother, Victor Julio Rivas Castillo, struggles under the weight of a heavy casket. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalengue_09_resized.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers Afro-Peruvians carry the casket of Pedro Gregorio Moran Ramirez, 75, a wine and pisco maker, escorted by his family and friends. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/camalengue_12_resized_01.jpg Camalenque - Pallbearers Two groups of Afro-Peruvians, working as camalenque, greet one another at a cemetery - one group was waiting to remove a casket from a hearse. https://ricfrancis.net/the-conflict 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_intro.jpg The Conflict A memorial is setup to honor indigenous natives and local migrants killed in a clash with the Peruvian national police. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_04_alt.jpg The Conflict Paulo Bitap Lopez, 24, an Awajun, left, is surrounded by family and neighbors as he recovers from two bullets to his shoulder and side, in addition to one that grazed his head, which he said were fired by Peruvian police. Lopez indicated he has no access to a doctor or pharmacy so he's being treated with local plants that have healing properties. On June 5, 2009 the police, using tanks, helicopters, tear gas and firearms, attacked a roadblock approximately 450 miles north of the capital, Lima. Protesters, including Lopez, had been blocking roads for two months to demonstrate their opposition to laws that gave logging, mining and oil companies access to their ancestral grounds - the Amazon. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_18.jpg The Conflict Paulo Bitap Lopez, 24, an Awajun, is recovering from two bullets to his shoulder and side, in addition to one that grazed his head, which he said were fired by Peruvian police. Lopez indicated he has no access to a doctor or pharmacy so he's using local plants with healing properties. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_19_alt.jpg The Conflict Lenin Jhon Wuepio Nunez, 25, an Awajun, is recovering from a bullet wound to his leg which he said was fired by Peruvian national police. "I can't stand or work and I don't have access to medical care," stated Nunez. He's using local plants with healing properties to treat the wound. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_11.jpg The Conflict Ana Egampash Wakiu, 35, an Awajun farmer, assists a friend who grows corn, bananas, yucas, mani and sachapapa in this area. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_13_alt.jpg The Conflict Awajun farmer and landowner Ricardo Apanu Nampin, 53, left, Ana Egampash Wakiu, 35, center, and Mirsa Wachapa, 40, prepare to cross the Chiriaco river with the day's harvest. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_12_alt_darker.jpg The Conflict After a heavy rainfall, a group of Awajun men contemplate how to extract their vehicle from mud. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_02alt.jpg River Ferry Gilmer Ugkaju Intakea Edad, 20, top, an Awajun, ferries passengers across the Chiriaco river. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_03.jpg The Conflict Gilmer Ugkaju Intakea Edad, 20, bottom, an Awajun, ferries passengers across the Chiriaco river. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_16_alt.jpg The Conflict An Awajun girl, Luz Yovani Villa Pena, 10, dries off in the sun after playing with friends in the Chiriaco river. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_14_alt.jpg The Conflict A young Awajun boy carries a papaya from his father's canoe. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_06_alt.jpg The Conflict Standing just outside the doorway of a shooting victim, Awajun citizens expressed animosity towards the government for not helping protesters injured by the police. They indicated that victims must use local plants with healing properties to treat gunshot wounds. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_05_alt_darker.jpg The Conflict Arturo Kinin, an Awajun wearing warrior attire, works as a history teacher in the area. Kinin expressed disgust with the Peruvian government which he stated has not provided medical assistance or compensation to victims of a police attack on protesters. Local plants with healing properties are being used to treat gunshot wounds, according to Kinin. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_17_alt.jpg The Conflict Family members listen to Orfidia Mashigkash Apatiu, 43, an Awajun, right, as she describes her son, David Jausito Mashigkash, 19, who she said was killed by Peruvian national police. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_08_alt.jpg The Conflict Orfidia Mashigkash Apatiu, 43, an Awajun, with her husband, Moises Jausito Lucinda, 49, weeps at the grave of their son, David Jausito Mashigkash, 19, who they said was killed by the national police during the conflict. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_07_alt.jpg The Conflict Amazonians gather at a memorial site whose grounds are charred as the result of a clash between indigenous natives, local migrants and the Peruvian national police. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_10_alt.jpg The Conflict An Amazonian girl holds empty tear gas canisters and bullet shells she found on charred grounds where indigenous natives and local migrants clashed with Peruvian national police. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CONFLICTO_20_alt_02.jpg The Conflict Mourners pay their respects to those killed in a clash with the Peruvian national police. https://ricfrancis.net/damn,-this-neighborhood-is-changing 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/damn_17a.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Norway has historically been a predominately mono-culture, yet it’s growing as a multi-cultural society. The neighborhoods of Grønland and Tøyen border one another, and they’re the most diverse neighborhoods in Norway. They’ve been targeted by real estate developers for gentrification because they’re walking distance to central Oslo. For many years both Grønland and Tøyen were the cheapest neighborhoods in Oslo, but they were viewed as undesirable because of social issues: crime, drugs and lower income residents. One of the most appealing characteristics of the two neighborhoods is diversity and that is at risk because of gentrification, which is forcing many African and Muslims to leave due to the higher cost of living. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/damn_01a.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing A musician, who is originally from The Gambia, and a young girl exchange a smile while he plays a kora outside a train station. The kora is a harp-like instrument from West Africa. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/damn_10a.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Diners and pedestrians reflected in a cafe’s window. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1023084_low_02.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Pedestrians on a local street. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/damn_16a.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing An apartment building and passersby are reflected in a puddle. The value of real estate in the area has skyrocketed because of buyer demand. Consequently the demographics of residents has changed. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF1059-1_low.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Vaterlands Park caters to a diverse crowd. What the park has in abundance is atmosphere and incident allowing very different people to casually come together for cultural and social exchanges. It’s a park where immigrants and open-minded creatives, who find the layers of culture agreeable, create an environment for socializing that is unlike any in Norway. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/damn_13a.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Deeqa Mohammed Osman, left, and Luul Mohamed take a selfie. Luul's daughter Ilhan Fuad Afrat, 12, waits in the foreground. The women are longtime residents of Tøyen. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF3128_low.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Hair stylist Freddy Larssen has operated his hair salon for over 50 years. His neighbor Muluken Tabor, right, speaks with potential customers outside Merkata, his second-hand store, which he has owned since 2010. Muluken arrived in Norway from Ethiopia in 1997. In February 2023, he was forced to relocate his store because the landlord wanted to rent to a more upscale business. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF9910_low.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Freddy Larssen, center, enjoys the camaraderie of long-time customers and friends; he has operated his barbershop for over fifty-years at this location. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF9997_low_02.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Passersby take stock of items for sale at Muluken Tabor’s second-hand store, which he has owned since 2010. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF5406_low_03.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing The window of the former second-hand store Merkata is bare after the renter was forced to move; given the increased value of real estate in the neighborhood the building’s owner wants a more upscale tenant. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/damn_08a.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Graffiti, some of which express political statements, is not an uncommon sight in the area. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Gronland_05_weba.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Pedestrians walk down a secluded street. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/damn_05a.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing A child walking outside a local park shares laughter with another pedestrian. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/damn_02a.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Cecilie Ingebrigtsen applies makeup as she prepares to go to a local bar. Cecilie was born in Norway to a Guyanese mother and a Norwegian father. She's a long-time resident of the Tøyen area. "I never had any problems in Tøyen, but I like the changes because it feels safer," stated Cecilie. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/damn_14a.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Garad Farah gets music selection advice from a fellow patron at Bydelskroa bar. Garad is originally from Somalia and arrived in Norway 30 years ago; he has lived in the Tøyen area for 20 years. Small local bars like this have closed and more upscale bars and cafes have taken their place as a result of gentrification. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/damn_11a.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing A young couple sits atop a bus stop structure listening to music coming from one of the stages at the Øya Music Festival. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF4399-1_low.jpg Grønland, Norway A man sleeps in Vaterlands Park. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/damn_09a.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing The sun and snow contributes to a pleasant wintry day. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF8300_low.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing Vaterlands Park is a microcosm of Grønland before the initiation of urban renewal projects, in social class as in stigma. During a community meeting local residents complained about the sale of illegal drugs in the park and the need for renovations to make the park more child-friendly. https://ricfrancis.net/dilemma-of-education 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_ed_02_toned.jpg Dilemma of Education Primary one grade students at Acutomer Primary School wait for their teacher to return to the classroom; the students range in age between six and eight. The room's windows have no glass so when it rains the students must move their desks to the center of the room. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_ed_08_toned.jpg Dilemma of Education Charles Okot, 23, teaches literacy in Kwan (the local language) to primary one grade students at Acutomer Primary School. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_education_05a.jpg Dilemma of Education David Francis Odoki writes on a board and his students take notes at Kiteny Primary School. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_ed_03_toned.jpg Dilemma of Education Primary one grade students lineup to have their school work examined by their teacher at Acutomer Primary School. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_education_06_alt.jpg Dilemma of Education Charles Okot, 23, teaches literacy in Kwan (the local language) to primary one grade students at Acutomer Primary School. The students range in age between six and eight. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_education_07_alt.jpg Dilemma of Education Alex Opira, right, headmaster at Acutomer Primary School, tries to resolve a problem about overpaid school fees involving Pauline Akwero, foreground, her son, Robert Mugisha, 11, seated on the floor - far left, and a teacher who's not present. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_education_stolen.jpg Dilemma of Education New classsroom blocks at Obira Primary School are built as a result of funding from the Norwegian government; the Norwegian government working in collaboration with local Ugandan officials and school management committees has funded several such classroom blocks in the northern region. This despite a brief dispute after it was discovered that Ugandan officials had misappropriated donated funds; the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the government of Uganda to refund the stolen money. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_education_08a_alt.jpg Dilemma of Education Students study outdoors under a tree at Obira Primary School. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_education_09a_alt.jpg Dilemma of Education Teacher Ocana Charles conducts his class under a tree as Agnes Alimo, 10, paces to keep her one-year old brother quiet; babysitting during school is a must for her. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_educ_resized.jpg Dilemma of Education Agnes Alimo, 10, left, returned home from school with her one-year old brother (Regan Kidaga) because he would not stop crying. Her sister Vicky Auma, 7, center, and a neighborhood boy, Ogen, 6 (who didn't know his last name) stayed home from school to crush groundnuts. The hidden cost of schooling is overwhelming in the post-conflict Acholi sub-region (northern Uganda). Children constitute an invaluable source of stopgap labour for households re-establishing livelihood strategies in the aftermath of twenty years of war. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_education_10_alt.jpg Dilemma of Education Students play during their lunch break at Acutomer Primary School. The school does not provide meals to the students, so because many of them live too far to go home for lunch they don't eat. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_education_11_alt.jpg Dilemma of Education During sunrise Phillips Oluoch, 12, left, who had to stop attending school because his family could not afford school fees, waits with his mother for several village women, as they make their way to work in the field. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_education_12alt.jpg Dilemma of Education Nighty Akwero, 7, must work in a cassava field today instead of going to school because her mother is home with an injured foot. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_education_14a_alt.jpg Dilemma of Education Ben Okidi, 8, right, and Alfred Olanya, 10, center, along with two other brothers watch over the family's herd of cattle; all the brothers missed school today because of this chore. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dilemma_of_education_15_alt.jpg Dilemma of Education Timo, 9, (he has no last name because he has not been baptized yet) runs towards his mother, Joyce Pacoryema, 42, to cover maize with a tarp; it's about to start raining. https://ricfrancis.net/early-childhood-education---nairobi 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1030287.jpg Early Childhood Education Teacher Nancy Vivian Obanda, third from right, chats with parents who are dropping off their children. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/early_education_kenya_04.jpg Early Childhood Education Ebsen Onyango, 4.5-yrs. old, (second from left) chats with a classmate. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/early_education_resized.jpg Early Childhood Education Nancy Vivian Obanda prepares to wake Stephen Maina, 2-years-9 months, while Isaac Muriithi, 3 years, does class work. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1029690.jpg Early Childhood Education Nursery school teacher Cecilia Muringi checks a student's homework and reading ability. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1030423.jpg Early Childhood Education After correctly answering a question Vivian Aisha, 4, rocks her hips and head as her classmates sing, "Well done, well done, try again another day, keep up a very good girl." The school uses songs to make learning fun for its young students. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/early_education_kenya_09.jpg Early Childhood Education Cecilia Muringi, who teaches the nursery (4-5 year olds) class, calls out names for students to come forward with their homework. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1030535.jpg Early Childhood Education Nancy Vivian Obanda leads her baby class students in prayer before their snacks are distributed. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/early_education_kenya_15.jpg Early Childhood Education Ann Rose Nyambura, 3, is the center of attention as classmates observe her doing classwork. Their teacher is walking around the room collecting notebooks for grading. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1029992.jpg Early Childhood Education Nursery school students sing along with their teacher who is a the front of the room. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1030946.jpg Early Childhood Education Nursery school students play while their teacher, at the front of the room, administers a test to three students at a time. "I can't test the entire class at once because they would just play with, tear or stain the paperwork," says Cecilia Muringi. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1030967.jpg Early Childhood Education Nursery school students play while their teacher, at the front of the room, administers a test to three students at a time. "I can't test the entire class at once because they would just play with, tear or stain the paperwork," says Cecilia Muringi. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1029680.jpg Early Childhood Education While testing a student's reading abilitynursery teacher Cecilia Muringi eyes a student who is not behaving properly. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/early_education_kenya_19.jpg Early Childhood Education Dionisia Wawira Kitmaka teaches the pre-unit (5-6 year olds) class. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1029827.jpg Early Childhood Education Several girls wait for lunch to be served. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/early_education_kenya_24.jpg Early Childhood Education A nursery student comforts an ill classmate during playtime. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1029745.jpg Early Childhood Education A student glances out the window during class. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1030861.jpg Early Childhood Education Several pre-school boys sing and dance in front of their classmates. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1030035.jpg Early Childhood Education Cecilia Muringi reviews the just completed work of her nursery school students as she has them read from their notebooks. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/early_education_kenya_28.jpg Early Childhood Education Ebsen Onyango, 4.5-yrs. old, sits at her desk during class. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1030659.jpg Early Childhood Education Maria Wanjiku, left, the school cook, relaxes and monitors the nursery school class during naptime. Ebsen Onyango, 4.5-years, top-center, sits with her eyes open. https://ricfrancis.net/faces-of-genocide---rwanda 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/gasabo_prison_01_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 9, 2016 - Gasabo Prison - Emmanuel Nshogozabahizi, 50, discusses the atrocities he committed during the 1994 genocide: "There are three people whose killings I admit to having been involved in. I put them into a white pickup vehicle and we took them to the 'Red District' and I shot them myself. When I think about that I think that, I was not human." He is serving a 30-year sentence. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/kigali_prison_07_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 6, 2016 - Nyarugenge Prison - Madeleine Mukangira, 64, who was convicted of genocide, speaks about the atrocities she committed in 1994. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/ngoma_prison_01_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 18, 2016 - Ngoma Women's Prison - Gaudance Yansoneye, 64, stated the crimes she committed during the 1994 genocide: "I was asked to throw a child who was in primary three (3rd grade) into the river. I took her and I threw her into the Akagera River. I will always remember the words that the child said to me before I threw her: 'Mother, let the men be the ones who throw me into the river, don't do it.' I have been sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/rwamagana_prison_03_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 18, 2016 - Rwamagana Prison - Anaclet Gatimbo, 54, discussed the crimes he committed during the 1994 genocide: "On April 12, 1994, we were with soldiers who had guns. When we reached the church they started shooting. We started with Father Bosco Munyaneza and then we started to take people out one by one and killed them at the coffee plantation; we left their bodies there. On that day we killed more than four hundred people." He would eventually confess to killing many more using a spear. Anaclet is serving a life sentence. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/ngoma_prison_17_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 18, 2016 - Ngoma Women's Prison - A group of elderly female inmates leave a gathering in which they discussed the atrocities they committed during the 1994 genocide; they're all serving time for genocide. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_project_bugesera_44_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 5, 2016 - Bugesera Prison - Emmanuel Cyimana, 58, was convicted of genocide in 1994. Here he's complaining to a prison official about the time he's serving; his sentencing records state that he must serve 24-years but prison officials say he's in for life. He discussed some of his crimes: "I was urged to kill Tutsis and I did. I used traditional weapons. I shouted at those who tried to hide so that they could be discovered and killed. I did not have pity for anybody. I am sentenced to 24-years of imprisonment. I have been imprisoned since 1995. In the course of hunting Tutsis he described how a Hutu captured a man and cut him. "I then cut him on his leg. My fellow killer said, 'do it seriously. Let me show you.' He cut off his head. On the third day of killing we found Antoinette Nyiramatama hiding. Dani Munyarugero cut her up immediately and Kamanazi removed the baby from her back and killed it. I was there with them. This is what I did." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_project_bugesera_25_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 5, 2016 - Bugesera Prison - Janvier Musabyimana, 40, states the crime he committed during the 1994 genocide: "What pains my heart is that I killed a 10-year old child. Worse than this is that it was the child of people who used to look after me when I was small. My parents used to leave me at their home. This child's father and mother took me as their own child. I forgot all this and I killed their child. I hit him with an iron rod. When I come back to the image of the child I killed I feel sorrow; I feel pain. I am sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and have been in jail since 2013. I have four children and a wife. None of my relatives visit me." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/ntarama_01_web.jpg Faces of Genocide March 13, 2016 - The damaged national identity card of a young woman, whose family name was Uwimana, lays in a storage container on the grounds of the Ntarama Church, which is now the Ntarama Genocide Memorial. According to the memorial site manager, Uwimana was killed on these grounds along with 5,000 other Tutsis on April 15, 1994. During that time national identity cards were marked to label the ethnicity of the bearer; after the genocide such ethnic identification was banned by the government. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_memorial_01_resized_blog.jpg Faces of Genocide January 3, 2016 - Visitors in the Children's Room at the Kigali Genocide Museum where photographs and stories of a few of the thousands of children who were killed in the 1994 genocide against Tutsis are on view; below each photograph is a short bio about the children: Patrick, 5-years old, Favorite sport - riding bicyle, Favorite food - chips, meat and eggs, Best friend - Alliane his sister, Behavior - A quiet and well-behaved boy, Cause of death: Hacked by machete. Uwamwezi, 7-years old, and Iréne Umutoni, 6-years old, Relationship - Sisters, Favorite toy - A doll they shared, Favorite food - Fresh fruit, Behavior - daddy's girls, Cause of death: A grenade thrown in their shower. Rwandan families donated photographs of their children for the memorial. The memorial museum honors the estimated 250,000 people buried on the site in mass graves. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/ntarama_genocide_memorial_04_blog.jpg Faces of Genocide March 13, 2016 - Although 5,000 victims are said to be buried here at the Ntarama Genocide Memorial mass grave the memorial wall only lists 260 names. The memorial site manager stated this is due to the challenges of identification: Many families were killed leaving no one to identify remains. Also, many Tutsis seeking safety came to the Ntarama site from the surrounding area, and because they didn't live in Ntarama they were unknown. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/rwamagana_prison_01_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 18, 2016 - Rwamagana Prison - A current wanted poster offers a cash reward for individuals still wanted for crimes of genocide. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_perpetrators_02.jpg Faces of Genocide May 5, 2016 - Nyarugenge Prison - Mwaminii Nyirandegeya, 56, gets emotional while describing the atrocities she committed in 1994: "I am here in prison and I will live here for the rest of my life because I was involved in the genocide. We had to check the identity cards of people in order to sort Hutu from Tutsi. I went to various places. The time came when I felt like I was no longer human. I was drunk everyday and I smoked. I joined many groups of killers. My four neighbors were killed while I watched." She described how she participated in the genocide: "I found people hiding - this was how I exterminated all of those people. All of them were my neighbors. I exterminated all of the Tutsi in my village - people who had fed my children. I lived in that village for a long time. All were killed because of me; it looked like I'd become a hunting dog. I spent everyday with those killers. One day I went to look for my half-brother's child who was hiding. When they were going to kill my half-brother he said that he and I were not related; he denied our relation. I had become a beast." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_perpetrators.jpg Faces of Genocide May 18, 2016 - Ngoma Women's Prison - Pascasie Nyirabarera, 65, right, and Mary Odeta Nyirarudodo, 84, were joined by three other women when they killed one family. According to Pascasie, "A woman named Nathalie passed by me on her way to fetch water and said, 'I have found a Tutsi somewhere, why don't you come and we will kill her.' Nathalie picked up a big stick and I picked up a mallet; we went to kill Virginie and her 3-year old grandchild. We killed them in their own home. There were five of us, two of whom have now passed away. The rest of us who are still alive are all in prison. We did it alone. We were all women. I am now in prison with Mary Odette Nyirarudodo who was one of those women who went to kill that family." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/gasabo_prison_15_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 9, 2016 - Gasabo Prison - (Left-to-right) Hamis Mirasano, 53, Felix Niyoniringiye, 44, Emmanuel Nshogozabahizi, 50, Leonard Karasira, 47 and Yussuf Habyarimana 56, were convicted of genocide. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_perpetrator_02.jpg Faces of Genocide May 9, 2016 - Gasabo Prison - Yussuf Habyarimana 56, was convicted of genocide: "I was involved in the genocide committed against the Tutsi. After I was arrested I confessed that I committed genocide; I had the heart of a beast. I apologize." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/gasabo_prison_08_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 9, 2016 - Gasabo Prison - Leonard Karasira, 57, was sentenced, in 2006, to 25-years of imprisonment. "During the genocide I was the mayor of the Ramba district. When the genocide took place I was there and I was involved in it. There are many things that I regret and I apologize for." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/gicumbi_prison_17_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 19, 2016 - Gicumbi Prison - Joseph Nzirorera, 45, discussed the atrocities he committed during the 1994 genocide: "The morning after Habyarimana's (the then-president) plane was shot down we started killing Tutsis. We started in Ngoma. When we got there we killed three people. Also, we killed four people by burning them inside their home - it was not far from our own homes. We set up a roadblock in Mbogo district and there we killed many people. I personally killed four people. They were our neighbors." Joseph also participated - with three others - in the rape of a woman who was eventually killed. He fled to the Congo but returned to Rwanda in 1996. One week after his return he was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_project_bugesera_40_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 5, 2016 - Bugesera Prison - A guard watches over inmates convicted of genocide, who are waiting to discuss the atrocities they committed during the 1994 genocide. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/gicumbi_prison_01_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 19, 2016 - Gicumbi Prison - Emmanuel Musabyimana, 49, works at the prison as a gardener. "In 1994 I took part in attacks to kill Tutsis. I felt like I was taking revenge for our father Habyarimana (the then-president); it was said that he had been assassinated by Tutsis. Sometimes I used a machete, other times a small hoe and one time a mallet. I even used a spear." After 1994 Emmanuel fled to the Congo. "In 1996 during the repatriation process I came back to Rwanda. When I got home I kept quiet and even those with whom I committed the crimes didn't disclose anything about me until 2007. Then I was summoned to the Gacaca courts. I immediately confessed and asked for forgiveness. I was sentenced to 17-years of imprisonment." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_project_bugesera_41_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 5, 2016 - Bugesera Prison - Sylvester Gasharankwazi, 67, joins a group of inmates, all convicted of genocide, waiting to discuss the atrocities they committed during the 1994 genocide. "I'm Tutsi. In order to go to school my father changed his identity card to Hutu. I committed genocide to prevent myself from being killed. I realized at that time that if I had refused to join them in killing I would have died." He described his first killing: "A soldier stepped on a person who had laid down and covered himself with bushes. He told me to throw a spear into the bushes. I threw the spear but I missed. He then said 'look for another weapon and use it.' That day we killed many people." Inside a church, "I told whoever did not have an identity card or who was Tutsi to get out. I immediately shot the first woman who I identified as a Tutsi. A second woman carried a baby on her back and I told her to remove the baby and then I shot her too. I found another woman and shot her. Later I joined another group of killers and I found a child who had hidden himself in banana leaves - I shot him. I was imprisoned in December of 1994; I'm serving 30-years." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/kigali_prison_11_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 6, 2016 - Nyarugenge Prison - Valerie Bemeriki, 61, was a radio announcer who mobilized Hutu paramilitary groups to kill Tutsis; she was responsible for many deaths. Valeri was one of the two main voices for RTLM (a Rwandan radio station) which was widely listened to - it projected racist propaganda against Tutsis and moderate Hutus. She's serving a life sentence. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/gicumbi_prison_13_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 19, 2016 - Gicumbi Prison - Emmanuel Biziyamye, 51, works in the prison yard making a basket. He's serving life. "The genocide started when I was at home. I heard on the radio that we should eliminate the enemy who had assasinated the President, our parent. They said, 'get up and eliminate the enemy.' I was always ready and when I heard it on the radion, I said killing Tutsi is legal; they announced it on the radio - they will not escape from us. One day we discovered Clementine Mukampazimpaka and her brother Gatemberezi. He ran away and escaped. We caught his sister and raped her. One of us infected her with HIV. I did rape her but I didn't infect her because I'm HIV negative. But still, I did that evil act." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/murambi_memorial_09_web.jpg Faces of Genocide February 5, 2016 - In 1995, the remains of more than 18,000 men, women and children were exhumed from mass graves at the Murambi Technical School, now known as the Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre in southern Rwanda. Although many bodies decomposed completely, the intense heat formed in the pits allowed some of the skeletal remains to be preserved. Most of the corpses were reburied in common graves at the memorial centre. However, nearly one thousand corpses were further preserved in lime and placed in the school buildings where the people were killed. The corpse in the middle is a woman with her baby. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/murambi_memorial_07_web.jpg Faces of Genocide February 5, 2016 – "Over 800 bodies of genocide victims were pulled from this mass grave," said Musoni Protais, a site manager at the Murambi Technical School, which is now known as the Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre; the centre tells the story of how 40,000-50,000 Tutsis were killed at the secondary school that was under construction. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_memorial.jpg Faces of Genocide February 5, 2016 - Clothing of genocide victims are displayed at the Murambi Technical School, which is now known as the Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre; the centre tells the story of how 40,000-50,000 Tutsis were killed at this location. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nyarubuye_02_web.jpg Faces of Genocide February 9, 2016 - During April 1994, Tutsis from several communities gathered at the Nyarubuye Church seeking refuge but instead met their deaths, at the hands of Hutu attackers armed with machetes, traditional/crafted weapons, guns and genades. This the Nyarubuye Genocide Memorial site is home to the remains of more than 50,000 victims of the 1994 genocide. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nyamata_memorial_08_blog.jpg Faces of Genocide February 3, 2016 – The remains of Marie Nyirabuku (1955-1994), and other genocide victims, rests at the Nyamata Genocide Memorial. The memorial is at the site of Nyamata Parish Catholic Church, where according to site manager, Rachel Murekatete, 45,354 genocide victims are buried. “10,080 Tutsi died inside and outside the grounds of the church on April 13th and 14th, 1994,” said Ms. Murekatete. Nyamata is in the eastern province approximately 30 kilometres south of the capital city Kigali. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_project_bugesera_17_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 5, 2016 - Bugesera Prison - Laurent Twagirayezu, 58, holds a piece of paper containing the names of ten people he killed during the 1994 genocide, which he keeps in his pocket. "I knew the difference between a Hutu and a Tutsi since I was in primary grade one. In the class they used to ask us about it. We didn't know the purpose. During the genocide, I and some others killed John Nyambwana. On the next day we attacked Deny and his son Augustin; we attacked their residence. Sometimes you didn't have a chance of killing the prey because so many people were trying to kill them at the same time." We killed Emmanuel Gasiribanyi and Suzane and afterwards we were informed that Ruganintwari had hidden at his brother-in-law's house. I went into the house and took him out - even though he was my friend - and we killed him. We found the old woman Colette hiding and killed her. The next day we hunted more Tutsi and found Nkeshimana hiding in the home of the school inspector and killed him. I've been in prison since 1995 serving a life sentence. I have four children and nobody comes to visit me - never." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_project_bugesera_18_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 5, 2016 - Bugesera Prison - Laurent Twagirayezu, 58, holds a piece of paper containing the names of ten people he killed during the 1994 genocide, which he keeps in his pocket. "I knew the difference between a Hutu and a Tutsi since I was in primary grade one. In the class they used to ask us about it. We didn't know the purpose. During the genocide, I and some others kill John Nyambwana. On the next day we attacked Deny and his son Augustin; we attacked their residence. Sometimes you didn't have a chance of killing the prey because so many people were trying to kill them at the same time. We killed Emmanuel Gasiribanyi and Suzane and afterwards we were informed that Ruganintwari had hidden at his brother-in-law's house. I went into the house and took him out - even though he was my friend - and we killed him. We found the old woman Colette hiding and killed her. The next day we hunted more Tutsi and found Nkeshimana hiding in the home of the school inspector and killed him. I've been in prison since 1995 serving a life sentence. I have four children and nobody comes to visit me - never." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/genocide_project_bugesera_06_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 5, 2016 - Bugesera Prison - Inmates convicted of genocide wait to discuss the atrocities they committed during the 1994 genocide. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/kigali_prison_24_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 6, 2016 - Nyarugenge Prison - Israel Dusingizimana, 53, is serving a 24-year sentence for genocide. "I was a community leader, elected by both Hutus and Tutsis. During my leadership our superior leaders used to tell us that a Tutsi is an enemy and cruel, and that we should be careful with them even if we lived together and were friends." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/rubavu_prison_03_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 20, 2016 - Rubavu Prison - Gaetan Ndererimana, 58, works in the prison's kitchen. "In 1994 when the president's plane was shot down I was on leave at my home in Kayove district. I met a Tutsi who I didn't know but I'd been taught how to identify them without looking at their documents. I hit that Tutsi with my ax and he fell into Lake Kivu, but he didn't die; he started to swim. So I sent some of my boys after him and they finished him off. That was the first Tutsi we killed." Gaetan confessed to the murders of many people, one of whom was Father Joseph Sekabaraga, the parish priest of Biruyi. "This is where I used to go for prayers and Father Joseph was the one who administered my religious wedding ceremony. It's now my 20th year in prison and I was sentenced to 24-years. I think that the punishment I've been given is very minor compared to the evil that I did. Even the death sentence wouldn't be suitable for me considering what I did. I'll beg for forgiveness from every Rwandan. Even after being released from prison during my remaining days on this earth, I'll be doing only peaceful activities. I can't do anything else because I betrayed Rwanda. Please, you also, forgive me." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/ngoma_prison_08_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 18, 2016 - Ngoma Women's Prison - Dorothea Mukantagara, 83, sweeping the grounds of the prison. "During the genocide I personally killed two people. The first person I killed was Kabebe, who had been thrown into a pit with his relatives. They were all dead but Kabebe was still alive when I saw him trying to get out of the pit; I stoned him to finish him off - he was 3-years old. He was the child of Peter and Mary Nyirahabimana, my neighbors. The second person I killed was Isaie Sebujindiri, also my neighbor. When he passed by me one day I called for people who came and killed him. I've been sentenced to 25-years imprisonment." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/ngoma_prison_03_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 18, 2016 - Ngoma Women's Prison - Mariya Nyirahabimana, 62, is serving 30-years. "I had neighbors who were Tutsi: Abraham Sewabo and his wife Everine Nyiramatama. Everine came to my house and said, 'please hide this little girl for me. I will die with my boys.' As she requested I took the child. But rather than looking after the child like my own, I took the young girl and threw her into the swamp. She was one-year and one-month old. She was named Dusabirema. I timed it so that she was sleeping - I left her in some swampy bushes. When I recall that baby I cannot sleep." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/kigali_prison_20_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 6, 2016 - Nyarugenge Prison, Rwanda - Nyabyenda J. Marie Vianney, 47, discusses the atrocities he committed during the 1994 genocide: "The number of people I killed or whose deaths I was involved in is not less than 300 people. At that time I had become a beast. I did many horrible things to Tutsis and my mother was a Tutsi. Actually, I fled with her but others betrayed me and killed her. I was sentenced to life imprisonment - I am finished. But when I happen to talk to someone and tell him/her about all that I did I feel relieved. When I go to bed I can get some sleep. I confess it. I sincerely confess." https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/ngoma_prison_19_web.jpg Faces of Genocide May 18, 2016 - Ngoma Women's Prison - Several elderly female inmates leave a meeting in which they discussed the atrocities they committed during the 1994 genocide; they're all serving time for genocide. https://ricfrancis.net/katrina-aftermath 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_01_web.jpg A wide-angle photograph, taken from a high vantage point, shows a supermarket and other buildings on a flooded street. September 9, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Hurricane Katrina breached New Orleans' levees at multiple points, leaving 80 percent of the city submerged, tens of thousands of victims clinging to rooftops, and hundreds of thousands scattered to shelters around the country. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/metairie216H2253_76.jpg A vehicle, in the foreground, sits in flooded waters with an Interstate 10 West sign in the background. September 12, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - A flooded vehicle is abandoned on Interstate 10. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_14_alt_web.jpg September, 24, 2005 - Jean Lafitte, Lousiana - A motorist examines rising floodwaters as he makes his way out of the area. This community is experiencing the effects of Hurricane Rita which followed Hurricane Katrina. September, 24, 2005 - Jean Lafitte, Lousiana - A motorist examines rising floodwaters as he makes his way out of the area. This community is experiencing the effects of Hurricane Rita which followed Hurricane Katrina. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_e.jpg September 9, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - A dog whose owners had been rescued from a rooftop remains stranded. September 9, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - A dog whose owners had been rescued from a rooftop remains stranded. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_03_web.jpg September 18, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Ronald Small (and his wife Phyllis) returned to their damaged home three weeks after the levees broke. The combination of water and humidity caused the wood on his door to swell sealing it shut; after unlocking the door he was unable to open it. September 18, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Ronald Small (and his wife Phyllis) returned to their damaged home three weeks after the levees broke. The combination of water and humidity caused the wood on his door to swell sealing it shut; after unlocking the door he was unable to open it. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/216H2462_28.jpg September 18, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Phyllis Small, and her husband, returned to their damaged home three weeks after the levees broke. September 18, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Phyllis Small, and her husband, returned to their damaged home three weeks after the levees broke. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_05_web.jpg September 14, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Homes and vehicles were heavily damaged in this Ninth Ward neighborhood. September 14, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Homes and vehicles were heavily damaged in this Ninth Ward neighborhood. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_06_web.jpg September 9, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - A decomposing body sits on a highway underpass. September 9, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - A decomposing body sits on a highway underpass. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_08_web.jpg September 11, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Members of a San Diego firefighting unit search a home for survivors. September 11, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Members of a San Diego firefighting unit search a home for survivors. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_10_web.jpg September 14, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - A military truck moves along an abandoned street in the Ninth Ward. September 14, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - A military truck moves along an abandoned street in the Ninth Ward. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_11_web.jpg September 15, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Heidi Tufto, a volunteer with the Louisiana Society to Prevent Cruelty to Animals (LASPCA), breaks into a house to rescue a dog in the ninth ward. September 15, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Heidi Tufto, a volunteer with the Louisiana Society to Prevent Cruelty to Animals (LASPCA), breaks into a house to rescue a dog in the ninth ward. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_12_web.jpg September 20, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Members of the FBI walk through the streets looking for people who have not evacuated; the "knock knock" device is used to break down doors. September 20, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Members of the FBI walk through the streets looking for people who have not evacuated; the "knock knock" device is used to break down doors. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_14_web.jpg September 10, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - John Jones, of the New Orleans Harbor Police, cautiously approaches a dog stuck in mud in the Industrial Canal; he rescued the dog. September 10, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - John Jones, of the New Orleans Harbor Police, cautiously approaches a dog stuck in mud in the Industrial Canal; he rescued the dog. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/hurricane_c.jpg September 24, 2005 - Jean Lafitte, Louisiana - A stranded homeowner shouts to a passing military vehicle that he wants to be evacuated. September 24, 2005 - Jean Lafitte, Louisiana - A stranded homeowner shouts to a passing military vehicle that he wants to be evacuated. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_15_web.jpg September 9, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Receding floodwater leaves its mark on a house and automobile on Orleans Avenue. September 9, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - Receding floodwater leaves its mark on a house and automobile on Orleans Avenue. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/_T1H0103_103.jpg HURRICANE KATRINA September 15, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - A flood line reveals how high the water rose in this lower ninth ward house. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_16_web.jpg September 22, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - The area near the breach in the Industrial Canal levee, in the Ninth Ward, fills with water from seepage (right) in the repaired levee. September 22, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - The area near the breach in the Industrial Canal levee, in the Ninth Ward, fills with water from seepage (right) in the repaired levee. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/katrina_aftermath_17_web.jpg September 26, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - A pool of water is evidence of renewed flooding from a second breach in the Industrial Canal levee in the Lower Ninth Ward. September 26, 2005 - New Orleans, Louisiana - A pool of water is evidence of renewed flooding from a second breach in the Industrial Canal levee in the Lower Ninth Ward. https://ricfrancis.net/moments-in-time---philippines 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF1886-copy.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF3493.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF4287.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF7819.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF6209.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF2310.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF5478.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF3111.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF0799.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF2386.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF3883.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF3742.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF2115.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF1552.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF5718.jpg Moments in Time - Philippines | Ric Francis View Moments in Time - Philippines by Ric Francis. https://ricfrancis.net/mysterious-&-devastating 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_01.jpg Mysterious & Devastating September 11, 2014 - Lapul - Ocwida village - Aromrach Scovia, 13, left, and Akello Lillian, 11, far right, both Nodding Syndrome (NS) patients, wait to enter the Lapul - Ocwida Health Centre II along with other victims and caretaker family members. The village is being serviced by a medical team from the Atanga Health Centre III. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_02.jpg Mysterious & Devastating September 15, 2014 - Lubiri Village - Nodding Syndrome (NS)) victim Lakony Walter, 17, started getting sick with the illness when he was three years old; he lost the ability to speak at seven and has not been able to walk for four years - he stays in his living quarters 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Lakony has not taken any medication in four months because his family lost his record book (a history of his case) in a house fire; his mother has been told by a health official to get him back on medication. He's one of four children and the only one with the illness. NS causes him to have epileptic seizures, which when he falls causes him to bang his body repeatedly on the ground; the wounds on his elbow are the result of such banging. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_web_bw.jpg Mysterious & Devastating September 13, 2014 - Lapul - Ocwida village - Okot David, 18, standing outside his hut. Okot represents a severe case of Nodding Syndrome; he has been ill with it since 2003. He's tied to his living quarters 24-hours a day, seven days a week. At an advanced stage the syndrome causes its victims to wander aimlessly, hence families will tie the person with a rope or chain to prevent them from getting lost, injured or in the case of a young woman raped. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_04.jpg Mysterious & Devastating September 13, 2014 - Lapul - Ocwida village - Okot David, 18, is washed by his mother (Apoto Ellen, 45). Okot represents a severe case of Nodding Syndrome; he has been ill with it since 2003. He's tied to his living quarters 24-hours a day, seven days a week. At an advanced stage the syndrome causes its victims to wander aimlessly, hence families will tie the person with a rope or chain to prevent them from getting lost, injured or in the case of a young woman raped. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_05.jpg Mysterious & Devastating September 13, 2014 - Lapul - Ocwida village - Nodding Syndrome patient Okot David, 18, represents a severe case; he has been ill with the syndrome since 2003. He's tied to his living quarters 24-hours a day, seven days a week. At an advanced stage the syndrome causes its victims to wander aimlessly, hence families will tie the person with a rope or chain to prevent them from getting lost, injured or in the case of a young woman raped. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_06.jpg Mysterious & Devastating September 13, 2014 - Lapul - Ocwida village - Nodding Syndrome patient Okot David, 18, sits outside his hut as a younger brother and sister wait for another sibling, so that they can walk to their school district some three hours away. The school season is about to begin so they will stay at the family's other home which is closer to the school. Their brother represents a severe case of Nodding Syndrome; he has been ill with it since 2003. Okot is one of seven children and the only one with the illness. He's tied to his living quarters 24-hours a day, seven days a week. At an advanced stage the syndrome causes its victims to wander aimlessly, hence families will tie the person with a rope or chain to prevent them from getting lost, injured or in the case of a young woman raped. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_07.jpg Mysterious & Devastating September 15, 2014 - Lubiri Village - Two school children walk pass a sign for the Atanga Health Centre III, which treats Nodding Syndrome victims. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_09.jpg Mysterious & Devastating September 11, 2014 - Lapul - Ocwida village - Parents and caretakers with Nodding Syndrome patients wait to enter the Lapul - Ocwida Health Centre II. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_10_b_w.jpg Mysterious & Devastating September 11, 2014 - Lapul - Ocwida village - Nodding Syndrome patient Kitanya John, 16, waits outside for his name to be called at the Lapul - Ocwida Health Centre II. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_10a.jpg Mysterious & Devastating October 3, 2014 - Lubiri Village - Caretakers of Nodding Syndrome patients wait to enter the Atanga Health Centre III. On the desk is a poster which highlights the symptoms of the illness and a patient registry book. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_11.jpg Mysterious & Devastating September 11, 2014 - Lapul - Ocwida village - Nodding Syndrome patient Oyoo Maurice, 21, displaying wounds from a recent epileptic seizure (a common symptom of Nodding Syndrome), waits with his caretaker, sister-in-law Atenyo Ester, 30, seated behind, as a medical records assistant reviews his record. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_12.jpg Mysterious & Devastating September 11, 2014 - Lapul - Ocwida viillage - Komakech Paul, center, senior clinical officer, reviews the case of Nodding Syndrome patient Kitanya John, 16, left, and prescribing drugs at the Lapul - Ocwida Health Centre II. Komakech is part of an outreach team visiting from the Atanga Health Centre III. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_13.jpg Mysterious & Devastating October 3, 2014 - Lubiri Village - Dr. Ben Watmon, an ophthalmologist, tries to examine the eyes of Nodding Syndrome (NS) patient Lamwaka Monica, 15; unable to understand what the doctor was trying to do she refused to cooperate, even with her mother, Lalam Rose, nearby. Dr. Watmon is with Gulu Hospital and is at the health centre on an outreach visit to assist NS patients. NS is a mysterious and devastating neurologic condition which stunts growth, causes its victims to nod (repeatedly dropping their heads forward), have epileptic seizures, and causes cognitive deterioration. In severe cases it can result in death. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nodding_syndrome_014.jpg Mysterious & Devastating October 3, 2014 - Lubiri Village - Michael Opiro, 14, rests at the Atanga Health Centre III, with his mother Angee Alicantorina, 50, at his side. Michael has been ill with Nodding Syndrome (NS) since 2006. He was hospitalized at the health centre because he was suffering from malnutrition and seizures; he was getting poor care at home and not receiving his drugs. He will remain in this hospital ward until his general health improves. Ms. Alicantorina has nine children - only Michael has NS. NS is a mysterious and devastating neurologic condition which stunts growth, causes its victims to nod (repeatedly dropping their heads forward), have epileptic seizures, and causes cognitive deterioration. In severe cases it can result in death. https://ricfrancis.net/life-after-death 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/LIFE_AFTER_RESIZED.jpg R.I.P. Macquala McCormick, 5, is enveloped by her mother whose tattoo memorializes Macquala's father; he was shot to death. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/POST_XMAS_RESIZED.jpg DAY AFTER XMAS Generally reclusive, Tracy McCormick, 23, ventures out with her daughters for some sun and play. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/HANDGUN_RESIZED.jpg SECURITY Having lost a loved one to gunfire, McCormick hasn't reacted with revulsion to guns. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/MAUSOLEUM_RESIZED.jpg MAUSOLEUM Macquala pays a weekly visit to her father's burial site. Upon entering she uncharacteristically begins to suck her thumb. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/SCARS_RESIZED.jpg Scars Evidence of a skin-grafting operation is one of the lesser scars Rena Vereen, 20, carries from her near-death experience; she took nine bullets during a shooting that killed her boyfriend. Paul, left, who was in bed with the couple was physically untouched. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PERPETUAL_MOTION_2_RESIZED.jpg PERPETUAL MOTION Most of Paul's days are spent in perpetual motion, playing alone in the apartment he shares with his mother. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/THERAPY_RESIZED.jpg COUNSELING Vereen and Paul attend a weekly therapy session to help them overcome the emotional trauma of watching a loved one die. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/CANDLELIGHT_RESIZED.jpg SCENE OF THE CRIME Family members hold a candlelight vigil where Derrick Mushatt, 28, was shot. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/GRIEVING_RESIZED.jpg GRIEVING The children and family of Mushatt say their last goodbyes. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/COURTHOUSE_RESIZED.jpg ARRAIGNMENT Deriandra, 7, waits outside the courthouse as her mother attends the arraignment of the man accused of killing her father. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/SOLDIER_RAG_RESIZED.jpg SOLDIER'S RAG Levy Johnigan III, 25, was killed by a bullet to the neck, leaving behind four children including Levy IV, 6-years-old. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/HOMEWORK_RESIZED.jpg HOMEWORK Tuckered out by early morning cartoon-watching, Levy is forced to do his homework.. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/MY_TURN_RESIZED.jpg MY TURN Levy argues with a friend over whose turn it is to take a spin on a neighbor's bicycle. https://ricfrancis.net/our-lord-of-miracles 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PROCESSION_01.jpg Our Lord of Miracles Thousands of Peruvians gather downtown to celebrate Senor de los Milagros (Our Lord of Miracles) outside the Church of Nazarenas. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PROCESSION_02.jpg Our Lord of Miracles A man sells photographs marking the celebration of Senor de los Milagros (Our Lord of Miracles) in downtown Lima. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PROCESSION_03.jpg Our Lord of Miracles Peruvians gather downtown to celebrate Senor de los Milagros (Our Lord of Miracles). https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PROCESSION_04.jpg Our Lord of Miracles Worshipers stand and wait for hours to see the procession. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PROCESSION_05_alt.jpg Our Lord of Miracles Women dressed in traditional capes watch and sing as a procession carrying a painting adorned with the image of Our Lord of Miracles arrives. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PROCESSION_06.jpg Our Lord of Miracles A child is held aloft, for good luck, before the image of Senor de los Milagros (Our Lord of Miracles). https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PROCESSION_07.jpg Our Lord of Miracles Women dressed in traditional capes offer blessings to those following the procession of Our Lord of Miracles. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PROCESSION_08_alt.jpg Our Lord of Miracles The faithful greet the procession bearing the image of Our Lord of Miracles. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PROCESSION_09.jpg Our Lord of Miracles Our Lord of Miracles (Senor de los Milagros) is the country's most widely attended religious event and was founded by Afro-Peruvians. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PROCESSION_10.jpg Our Lord of Miracles A woman dressed in a traditional cape follows the procession. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/our_lord_web.jpg Our Lord of Miracles Worshipers position themselves to view the procession - Our Lord of Miracles. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/PROCESSION_12.jpg Our Lord of Miracles The procession makes its way through downtown Lima. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Senor_de_los_Milagros_tonedA.jpg Our Lord of Miracles A boy lights a candle as he joins a procession for Senor de los Milagros (Our Lord of Miracles). https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Senor_de_los_Milagros_tonedD.jpg Our Lord of Miracles School girls walk in a tightly knit line as they follow the procession. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Senor_de_los_Milagros_tonedB.jpg Our Lord of Miracles The procession eventually makes its way through every neighborhood, in Chulucanas, with the faithful eagerly awaiting its arrival. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Senor_de_los_Milagros_tonedC.jpg Our Lord of Miracles A woman sings as the procession passes through her neighborhood. https://ricfrancis.net/paperless:-living-in-limbo 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/paperless_refugee_01.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah Alnasrawi, 46, an Iraqi asylum seeker, calls friends to find a place to stay for the next week. She arrived in Norway during October 2015 and since her second rejection for asylum she has adopted a nomadic lifestyle; she lives for several days at a time - a week or two if she's lucky - with friends she made at refugee camps. Here she's at the apartment of a Palestinian friend who permits her to sleep on the sofa, where she stores her belongings on its side. Her friend has family visiting for the holidays from Sweden and told Najah that she needs the space. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/paperless_refugee_02.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah gathers her belongings from behind the sofa while chatting with Majda Awad, 62, left, a Palestinian and Hafida Bazi, 30, from Morocco; the three friends met at a refugee camp in Norway - only Majda has been granted asylum. Norway, under a right-wing administration, has advocated anti-immigration rhetoric and policies. The government has advanced a policy of doing less for refugees to establish that Norway is not a good place to seek asylum. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/paperless_refugee_03.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah waits for the brother of a friend to drive her to a location where she has some of her belongings stored. "I never remain at one place too long for fear of wearing out my my welcome," said Najah. While she has an assigned room at a refugee camp, she - like others in her situation - does not sleep there for fear the police will show up and arrest her. An official at her assigned refugee camp confirmed it isn't unusual for the police to show up looking for someone who immigration authorities have decided it's time to leave. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/paperless_refugee_04.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah retrieves personal items that were stored with a friend of a friend at this convenience store. She longs for the financial security and professional stimulation she enjoyed in Iraq as a journalist. She's a mother of four and often talks about her children - ages 8, 18, 22 and 24; two are studying on scholarships in Hong Kong and Canada. A third is a dentist in Iraq. She stated that it pains her to not be able to visit them. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/paperless_refugee_05.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah moves some of her belongings into the home of a friend for another temporary stay; the microwave was given to her by a supportive friend. Before her second asylum rejection Najah's room, at a refugee camp, contained several household items. However given her nomadic lifestyle she distributed everything to friends. On this day she gave away her microwave. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/paperless_refugee_06.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Protesters (Norwegians and rejected asylum seekers) gather outside the Parliament to demand the Norwegian government address the needs of refugees who live paperless (lacking a residence permit that entitles them to be in Norway); without a permit asylum seekers can neither work nor access health care. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/paperless_refugee_07_website.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Haudar Hammodi, 45, center, a twice rejected asylum seeker from Iraq, and other protesters gather outside the parliament to demand the Norwegian government address the needs of refugees who live paperless. Haudar has lived paperless in Norway since 2008. Officially it's not known how many rejected asylum seekers live in Norway. A representative with People in Limbo, a Norwegian NGO that works on behalf of rejected asylum seekers, indicated that their numbers were estimated to be in the thousands and difficult to determine because of their underground lifestyle. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/people_in_limbo_02.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Arne Viste addresses supporters of Mennesker i Limbo (People in Limbo), a Norwegian NGO. They held this meeting to determine how best to get recognition and support from the government for paperless immigrants. Paperless immigrants are people living in Norway without legal residence, who have no right to work permits or health care. A core issue for People in Limbo is that those who have stayed illegally in Norway for more than five years should receive work permits and tax cards. Arne, in defiance of the government, has provided jobs to 40 rejected asylum seekers. He has reported his illegal actions to the police in the hope of getting arrested, so that he can present a legal challenge to the government for violating the constitution by denying people the right to work. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/hurdal_01.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo En route to the Hurdal Refugee Camp, Najah met a fellow asylum seeker, Shahzad Goodarzi, 28, on the bus. Shahzad, from Iran, arrived in Norway seven years ago. "I received my first rejection after one month and the second three years later," said Shahzad. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/hurdal_08.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Upon arrival at the Hurdal Refugee Camp Najah is greeted by the child of a fellow asylum seeker. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/hurdal_07.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo At the Hurdal Refugee Camp Najah chats with an Arabic neighbor in the shared living room of their apartment building. "I have many warm memories of this place," she stated. She comfortably stayed at this location before her second rejection for asylum. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/hurdal_04.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah keeps photographs of her children and a handmade sign with the letters FYMK (which stands for the first initial of her children's names - Forqan, 24, Yaqeen, 22, Mohammad, 18, and Karkash, 8) in her room at the Hurdal Refugee Camp. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/hurdal_05.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo With knowledge that the government is closing Hurdal Refugee Camp, Najah returned to her room to prepare for the move. As a twice rejected asylum seeker she - like others in her situation - does not sleep at the camp for fear of arrest and deportation. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/hurdal_17.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah waits at a bus stop, near the Hurdal Refugee Camp, along with two asylum seeker friends from Afghanistan - both have been twice rejected. The three arrived and met at a Norwegian refugee camp in October 2015. The younger of the Afghans (left) is 18-years old. He's planning to "escape" Norway and seek asylum elsewhere. Najah has contemplated leaving but says it's not feasible. "I don't want to be so vulnerable again. I'm scared. It's difficult for me to trust anyone," she said referring to the ordeal she endured traveling to Norway. Her options for leaving are bad because Norway seized her passport. It did so to prevent her from "asylum shopping" (being rejected one place and going to another). https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/hurdal_24.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo After a long day spent traveling to and from the Hurdal Refugee Camp, Najah falls asleep on the train to Oslo. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/paperless_refugee_08_website.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah listens as an elderly Iraqi man (as she described him), with Norwegian citizenship, offers a solution to her status as a paperless person: "Marry me". He has a pacemaker and needs a caretaker. At this hastily arranged meeting in a cafe he assures her, in front of five of his Arabic friends, that theirs would be a friends only relationship based on her having a permanent place to live and being his caretaker - no touching, intimacy or sex. She refused because as a rejected asylum seeker she's not eligible to marry in Norway. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/paperless_refugee_09_website.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah attends a party with friends from several Arabic countries. Despite her inability to safely socialize outside the Arabic community, Najah makes the most of her situation by performing in a local theater and volunteering at cultural and political events that are sponsored by non-governmental organizations. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/paperless_refugee_10_website.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah sings with friends from her theatrical group who are from Iraq, Kurdistan and Syria. The group was organized by an Iraqi actor with assistance from Syrians and Norwegians. "Despite the difficulty of living underground in Norway I feel free, human, not having to wear a hijab; I'm not against the hijab, but give me a choice. I don't like being told wear this or do that," stated Najah. Although she comes from a religious Muslim family she is not religous. Since her second rejection for asylum she has been forced into an underground existence in which she interacts almost entirely with people from Arabic countries - people who provide a sense of community as well as a place to stay. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dikemark_10.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo In the reception area at Dikemark Refugee Camp, Jocelyn Houghton, second from right, an official responsible for an information program, and Ingvild Hilde, the manager, welcome Najah and answer some of her questions. Later she met with Jocelyn and received an extensive orientation about her new home. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dikemark_01.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Upon entering her room Najah views the grounds outside her window as Jocelyn Houghton, an official at the Dikemark Refugee Camp, stands nearby. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dikemark_09.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Dikemark is a former psychiatric hospital which once held 800 patients in a complex of 20 buildings; a section of it is used to house asylum seekers - two of whom are seen walking its grounds. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dikemark_04.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah breaks down in tears after settling into her room at Dikemark. "This is the fourth refugee camp I've been moved to since I arrived (October 2015) in Norway; I want to be treated like a human being; it's unfair," stated Najah. Like many other twice rejected asylum seekers, she will not stay at the camp. To do so invites arrest from the police who often go to camps to remove - for deportation - twice rejected asylum seekers. She has a roommate (they haven't met) who'd already checked into this room but who also sleeps elsewhere. To her dismay, Najah was told that as a newcomer to the camp she must stay for a couple of days to establish her presence. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dikemark_02.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo After storing most of her belongings in her room at Dikemark Najah tearfully walks to a bus station to return to Oslo. There she will temporarily stay with a friend. While contemplating the mess her life has become Najah recounted a conversation she had with an immigration official: "I'm an educated woman who was working on a Masters in psychological counseling in Iraq. I had a good job. Why am I crying everyday for my daughter (8-yrs. old) who is in Iraq? My ex-husband wants to kill me. I told the truth. I'm not lying. I can't return yet you tell me to return. In Norway I have no job, no family and no money. You think I prefer to be in Norway. You think I like this weather?" https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/dikemark_08.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo With Dikemark Refugee Camp in the background Najah waits for a bus to return to Oslo. "Some people had told me that Norway is better for asylum, but I'm thinking about leaving. Many rejected people have done so but it's difficult, very hard. Maybe it's easier without friends, without money if you're a man. I'm a woman," she stated. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/nany_lawyer_03.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Najah reviews her asylum case with lawyer Ahmad Taha, a Norwegian born Iraqi. On this occasion she signed with him to handle her asylum appeal. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/trandum_01_web.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo After being arrested by the police Najah was taken to Trandum. Two weeks before her arrest she lost her room at the Dikemark Refugee Camp, and a monthly stipend from the goverment, because of her refusal to sleep at the camp. Thereafter she was given a new room and after staying for three days the police came and arrested her. The next day she was placed on a flight to Iraq. However during a stopover in the Netherlands it was discovered that her paperwork wasn't adequate to continue the journey, so she was returned to Trandum. Two weeks later she was deported to Iraq. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/trandum_01.jpg Paperless: Living in Limbo Forty-eight hours after being arrested Najah (under the influence of valium) wearily shakes her head side-to-side in frustration inside the reception area. During the first five days of incarceration she used valium that was provided by a doctor at Trandum; the effects were evident as her speech was painfully slow and her facial appearance drowsy. After the shock of her arrest wore off she declined use of the drug, and with a clear head reflected upon the uncertainty that characterized 2-1/2 yrs. of life in Norway: "It has been a hopeful yet painful experience. A return to Iraq means embracing - against my will - an environment that's familiar, unwanted and dangerous." Najah was deported to Iraq. https://ricfrancis.net/singles 2026-04-25 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Conflicto_02alt.jpg River Ferry Gilmer Ugkaju Intakea Edad, 20, top, an Awajun, ferries passengers across the Chiriaco river. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/L1063461-1.jpg Father or Mother South Sudanese children play a game called "Father or Mother,". which involves hopping around a grid. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/UNEXPECTED_F_WEB_27_toned3.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Coca farmer Juana Vasquez, 71, walks home carrying a bundle of freshly picked coca leaves in Tocana, a tiny community made up mostly of Afro-Bolivians in the lush Yungas Valley. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/Ayilo_Resettlement_Camp_resized.jpg Ayilo Refugee Camp Three young children (refugees from South Sudan) stop along a road that runs parallel to their family's maize field. In response to fighting which broke out in South Sudan in December 2013, thousands of refugees crossed the border at Nimule into northern Uganda. The fighting was between forces loyal to South Sudan president Salvar Kiir and his ex-vice president Rick Machar. The refugees have refused to return home because of fear the fighting will resume. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/DSCF4399.jpg Damn, This Neighborhood Is Changing A man sleeps in Vaterlands Park. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/macquala.jpg Life After Death Macquala McCormick, 5, is enveloped by her mother whose tattoo memorializes Macquala’s father who was shot to death. This photo was part of a project that highlighted six children whose fathers were violently killed; they are the unseen victims seldom isolated from the violence that claimed their fathers. No matter how well or little they knew him - whether as a myth, a memory or a beloved pal mourned - a father's absence leaves a void. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/reagan_resized.jpg Reagan in Repose Viewers pay their respects to former President Ronald Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The body of the nation's 40th president lied in repose in the rotunda library before traveling to Washington. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/daluka_resized.jpg Refugee Children Young South Sudanese refugees, who fled their country because of war, entertain themselves with a dance called "Daluka." Once a week they don their best clothing and gather for this social event; however, some of the children, such as the child on the right, have very few clothing items. In response to fighting which broke out in South Sudan in December 2013, thousands of South Sudanese refugees crossed the border at Nimule into northern Uganda. The fighting was between forces loyal to South Sudan president Salvar Kiir and his ex-vice president Rick Machar. The refugees have refused to return to South Sudan because of fear the fighting will resume. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/STEVIE_WONDER_b_w.jpg Honoring Freddie Hubbard Stevie Wonder pays tribute during the funeral service for Grammy award-winning jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/internally_displaced_people_web.jpg Internally Displaced People South Sudanese who have been living as internally displaced people (IDPs) gather under a large tree to distribute their monthly food rations. Thousands of South Sudanese became internally displaced refugees in Jonglei and Juba following the outbreak of fighting between forces loyal to South Sudan president Salvar Kiir and his ex-vice president Rick Machar in December 2013. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/features_186.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Ariana Renteria, 6, peers at partygoers while her sister Nahiffer Renteria, 9, dances to the music. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/kenya_early_ed_01.jpg Early Childhood Education Teacher Nancy Vivian Obanda prepares to wake her baby class student, Stephen Maina, 2 years-9 months old, while Isaac Muriithi, 3-years old, does class work. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/afro_latinos_07_website.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes Jose Castillo, 17, left, navigates as his father Vicente Castillo, 68, bails out water that is leaking into the boat. Justiña Ayovi, 58, is a passenger. The Castillos use the boat as a taxi to service communities along the Santiago and Cayapas Rivers. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/features_123.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes A 12-year old Argentine girl masquerades in blackface as an Afro-Latino prostitute to solicit money from tourists; throughout the region there is an insensitivity to such negative depictions of blacks. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/unexpected_faces_11_web.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes A worn and faded hand-drawing, created by Dayana Rene Ballivian, 9, hangs outside her family’s home that reads: “My mother is negro, my father is negro and so am I - I am proud.” In 2009 Afro-Bolivians won a moral victory when the Bolivian government - which had always denied their existence - publicly apologized and formally acknowledged them as citizens; this occurred under the administration of Evo Morales, the countries first indigenous president. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/he_got_game_resized.jpg He Got Game Several local boys make do with a toy basketball goal and high spirits. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/conflict_resolution_web.jpg Conflict Resolution African-American inmates speak with clergy and community activists about racial clashes with Latinos at the Pitchess Detention Center, 40 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/kenya_election_protest.jpg Election Protest - Kenya Supporters of presidential candidate Raila Odinga protest outside the Supreme Court building, after Uhuru Kenyatta's presidential win is upheld by Kenya's Supreme Court. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/features_183.jpg Freddie Hubbard Roy Rogers, center, a mortuary assistant, watches over the body of Grammy award-winning jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard during a public viewing. Hubbard died at age 70. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec02ec6aa/images/features_16.jpg Afro-Latinos in the Andes An Afro-Bolivian woman, Irma Medina, 45, pauses while walking up a hill to her home.