Around the World in 10 Moments
With millions of users around the world, we’re an international community of writers, photographers, and more. Enjoy these recent snapshots and soundbites, from Moscow to Cairo.
Photographing the colors of the Holi festival in India
The Kolkata-based blogger at Know-All’s Box recently captured the faces of this year’s Holi festival:
Capturing a student in a classroom in Sierra Leone
Laura Cook, a photographer currently based in Sierra Leone, focuses on sport for education. Her job requires many visits to schools in the area; here’s a student portrait of a football academy student visiting his old school in Freetown:
Education is improving in Salone all the time but many schools still have overcrowded classrooms and a lack of qualified staff. It is also clear that for most, education is seen as the solution to many of the problems faced in this part of West Africa.
Covering the ongoing violence in Venezuela
Francisco Toro at Caracas Chronicles comments on the ongoing violence in Venezuela — and the international media’s (lack of) coverage:
Venezuela’s domestic media blackout is joined by a parallel international blackout, one born not of censorship but of disinterest and inertia. It’s hard to express the sense of helplessness you get looking through these pages and finding nothing. Venezuela burns; nobody cares.
Closing a chapter and saying goodbye in Russia
Natalia Antonova, born in Kiev and now a journalist in Moscow, says goodbye to the Moscow News and reflects on the current situation in Russia:
To say that the future is uncertain is to say that the celestial void is somewhat daunting to behold. What’s especially hard to accept is that with regard to Ukraine, nothing may ever be the same again. It’s a scary, painful time. And it’s almost bizarre to observe how the stuff of headlines and news reports also has to do with your family and fate.
Documenting Cairo’s clashes in Egypt
Freelance photographer Aly Hazzaa‘s on-the-ground images from around Cairo continually wow us. The snapshot from Zeinhom morgue below is from his photo essay “Grief,” taken after clashes between protesters and security forces earlier this year:
Promoting literature and culture in Libya
The Benghazi-based blogger at Journal of a Revolution (and founder of The Young Writers of Benghazi) encourages the community to support the written word in Libya:
Supporting local writers, poets and journalists will strengthen our culture. It’s imperative for Libyans to turn to books and other forms of the written word to fortify their own thoughts and protect their newly gained freedom of speech. Just as the absence of books and knowledge strengthens a dictatorship, their propagation will strengthen our democracy.
Recalling the past and childhood in Burundi
This Burundian Life is a collaborative blog of stories of Burundians (and non-Burundians who’ve experienced life in Burundi) in English, French, and Kirundi. A recent essay on growing up in Burundi, “Ghosts of Our Past” by Rita Siohban, is particularly moving:
For kids who grew up in the 90s in Burundi (like me), every day was pretty much consumed with war and the ethnic baggage it brought. Again, it’s not like any of us had a choice. We were born into it. But, there were decades of massacres and genocides in the name of the almighty identity of Tutsi or Hutu.
Bringing the streets to life in the Philippines
Orlando Uy, a photographer living in Tacloban City, shares black and white street photography on his blog, A Walk With My Camera. (You might recall his December 2013 photo essay of Tacloban and the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.)
Here’s a recent snapshot of kids from Sagkahan, a barangay (district) in Tacloban:
Musing on “nostalgia” in Ireland
In his piece “Nostalgia in the Land of Boiled 7Up,” Richard at Cunning Hired Knaves muses on the term nostalgia in the context of Irish culture and people:
What happens in Ireland, then, when the question of what is Irish and what is not is thrust before people who feel a sense of fear and foreboding, that they are being uprooted from the world they know, by malevolent forces of one shape or another?
Looking back on time in South Africa
The blogger and traveler at Ithaka looks back on time spent in South Africa, the place that stole her heart. Here’s a fantastic image from a recent photo essay, taken in Tshabo, Eastern Cape:
We’re proud that WordPress.com is a platform for so many different voices and lenses around the globe.
- March 26, 2014
- Community, WordPress.com
Love this feature of yours!! Beautiful and interesting!
LikeLike
Incredible images…water and powder may be the enemies of photography but that’s not the case with you! Cheers!
LikeLike
Oh wow!! Thank you!! I can safely say that this is the first time anything like this has happened to me!! 🙂 🙂
LikeLike
I’ve been following your blog for a while and have enjoyed your snapshots — very evocative, some moody, and all well done. Thanks for taking us on your journey with your lens!
LikeLike
That’s one of the best compliments I have ever received for my photography…Thank you!
LikeLike
This is an intelligent way to remind us that the world is bigger than the tiny boxes we sometimes live in. Awesome!!
LikeLike
I have enjoyed reviewing your snapshots. Many times when we look around the world we are often shown depressing and desolate pictures. I like that you brought out the beauty in the pain. Awesome photography.
LikeLike
Made me smile; made me want to cry; made me feel helpless and hopeless. Humbled me to see so many people who care enough to bring so many issues into the light. Thank you for sharing.
LikeLike
Thanks for assembling and sharing these blogs. Maybe some day we won’t need commercially and politically driven television news…the people themselves will tell the story. I’m ready for that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Finally: the unabridged version. and commented:
I love this! So rare to find a reminder of the common ground that can be found if we look closely. Beautiful.
LikeLike
Thanks for this worldly insight, discovery and post.
LikeLike
Wonderful and uplifting.
LikeLike
Amazing photos and the words make me realise how lucky we are in Australia, even though we find things to complain about! War is a dreadful phenomena, as is poverty. Thank you for these snapshots from around the globe.
LikeLike
Speaking of Holi, I went to my friends house to celebrate it (I am Christian but i go just for then fun of it) and got DRENCHED with colors! Too bad i forgot to take a pic. It was so fun!
LikeLike
Love the pic on Holi festival. It was celebrated here in Trinidad last Sunday and it is a beautiful festival of colors that even the elders of the family enjoy. Great pics! Can’t wait to see more of your travels.
LikeLike
Such a lovely blog.
LikeLike
Absolutely stunning imagery and impactful world stories, I am so stoked I found your blog! Thanks, Lauren.
LikeLike
I’m awed by all the wonderful work these bloggers do. Keep up the good work!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is really motivating for my upcoming RTW trip! Great blog….
LikeLike
The world is
just beautiful in very simple ways…
LikeLiked by 1 person
The pic of South Africa is my fave. I’d love to go there.
LikeLike
It is wonderful for those of us who are “homebodies” to be introduced to the rest of the world with such interesting photos and posts. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
Beautiful photos! Thank you for posting!!
LikeLike
Thanks so much for including my work in this post – really chuffed!!
LikeLike
I enjoy your photography in general — thanks for sharing life in Sierra Leone with us.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is amazing! Beautiful photos and meaningful words.
LikeLike
Every time I see a post regarding this topic, I always give it a moment to read. Somehow it’s like “news and current affairs” thing in a blog format. Looking forward for more to come.
LikeLike
Great piece of work, awesome photos.
LikeLike
Beautiful faces of people from around the world!
LikeLike
Love the Holi Festival, I’ve been to a couple myself…you’re always included…
LikeLike
Thank for sharing those lovely moments.
LikeLike
Loved the colorful faces from my own country India as well around the world was fun.
LikeLike
Remarkable and amazing.
LikeLike