I was given a commission to create a book of photographs and a report for a Sudanese client. He planned to build a large amusement park on the site of the International Fair of Khartoum. I have travelled to the Sudan several times and I love the country and the people.

Now (2023) the country is in another civil war – all I hear and see on media are scenes of violence and destruction. None of the close friends I once had are alive and my heart is sad.

Omdurman is just over the river Nile from Khartoum. It has (or had) a huge camel market. I was there when one of the biggest of the year was occurring. I tried to count the camels, but  gave up at around 1,000. I shared some tea with a few traders and took many portraits (also for some of the camels) – one, which I have sold a few times, I made into an orotone from a carbro print

A project I was close to and attempted to help with was the ‘tradition’ of female genital mutilation. Although illegal since 2020 it is still thought that over 80% of young girls suffer this abominable surgery.

I saw things which horrified me, but could never intrude with my cameras all I will show is the happiness I could witness.

 

Both of these sisters had Female Genital Mutilation. I gave them Polaroids and shared an orange, it was all I could do. I wanted to campaign with magazine editorials, or create a book. But no company would touch the idea. Also I refused to take any ‘sensational’ (sick) images as this would be further exploitation of the girls. The only answer I could see was consolidated and continual education of all the parents and the of the peer pressure of the girls themselves.

I have developed a thought to assist the young girls in many African countries who are trapped and exploited as prostitutes. I write about this idea on other pages, but it involves voodoo and had other dark implications. I felt, and still feel helpless.

With deference to Ansel Adams – this is simply a hand held snap from a friends rooftop late in the evening

A very sad place in Khartoum was the Zoological Gardens. Zoos are often bad places for many reasons, but in the heat and confines of Khartoum zoo there is no justification for anything to be trapped in a cage. I could not use my camera to further exploit the animals, but this sight of a vast lawn in the centre of the zoo laid out with hundreds and hundreds of poached elephant tusks for sale I hope shows the depth of despair.

My trips to Sudan, Omdurman and the deserts towards Chad were mostly happy times due to the wonderful and friendly people. I shot any rolls of film, mostly Kodachrome on a Nikon F2 with a fast 105mm lens to take portraits of people in the street – always asking permission and usually giving a Polaroid from an SX70 I carried – I often shared a drink of water from a bottle I carried. I thought of making a small book of these photos, (another dream).

Transport and the roads in Khartoum are “challenging” – I often borrowed cars from friends, I found that the best desert vehicle was an old Toyota Corolla – being very light I could usually float over soft sand or push it out of problems – I would often pass heavy Landrovers and Unimogs stuck in the sand as I went out in the morning and see them later that afternoon on my way back, they were still only 100 meters further on, stuck again, when I may have travelled 50 kilometres. The roads were poorly lit with many holes (often with cars in them at the bottom of the hole). Lights and brakes seemed to be optional and if I took a taxi I usually had to help to push start it.