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Photo of the Day: Caterers Camerounais posted on March 11, 2010 - 6:32pm

I know that I’m mixing the French term for “Cameroon” with the English term for “caterer,” but I kind of feel like a mash up is the best way to describe this pleasant country, which I’ve alternatively heard described as either the best of or the worst of a combination of Nigeria and Congo. Either way, these caterers’ ties were definitely one of the best parts of an event I attended the other day.

Pepe’s partner at their home in Kampala
A couple of days ago, Chris Blattman linked to my recent reporting on the gay community and asked, Is Uganda a good place to be gay?
Homophobia is real and widespread. Yet Uganda boasts a vibrant gay rights movement, and nowhere else in Africa have I seen a more open and public debate. Gay men and women tell their stories in the newspapers; protests and legal battles get fair and often favorable coverage in the press. Every single editorial board of every major newspaper is solidly behind the gay rights movement.
The anti-homosexuality bill, simply put, is a backlash.

Gay. And Ugandan. posted on March 8, 2010 - 6:29pm

I ask a lot of people. I ask for their stories, their past and present, their secrets, their fears. Most people give generously of themselves. They offer me a seat or invite me into their homes.
I’m always amazed by how much people share with me when all I’ve done is ask. But when I went to Uganda a month ago, I was especially astounded. At a time when an anti-homosexuality bill threatens to criminalize loving and living, several gay friends nonetheless invited me to their homes and allowed me to take their photos, to write down their names, to risk further exposure. They could have just said no. Many people I asked did. But a few didn’t. And I’m glad for it, and glad to share their stories here.
Read my article in Time, see a story a colleague wrote that uses one of my photos, and see more images on glennagordon.com.

Happy Weekend posted on March 6, 2010 - 8:29pm
3,566 extra miles posted on March 1, 2010 - 3:36pm

I’m not taking a boat, but I kinda think I’d get there just as quickly if I did: today I fly from Monrovia to Yaounde, Cameroon, via Nairobi of course, on a red eye that ends up at NBO at 5 am, but feels like 3 am to me because of the time change.  This will be the third time I’ve taken this flight in the past five months. I walk up that weird ramp/staircase into the terminal, bleary eyed and exhausted, and buy juice at Java’s and try not to fall asleep in my chair.
(In case you’re wondering, the distance as-the-bird-not-the-plane-flies between Monrovia and Yaounde is 1,545 miles. The distance from Monrovia to Nairobi to Yaounde is 5,111 miles.)
I haven’t had as much time to blog lately as I would have liked, but I hope I’ll still get a few chances in Cameroon. And, hopefully I’ll also post soon about the work I did on a recent trip to Uganda that of involved, among other things, that same bleary eyed walk up those not stairs at NBO.

Court E and Rape in Liberia posted on February 22, 2010 - 1:37pm

Here’s another dispatch from my work with Jina Moore:
World Vision: Many women and girls in Liberia suffer from rape and its aftermath, often while their rapists walk free. In Monrovia, judges and prosecutors are experimenting with a new court system that they hope will bring an end to impunity.

The parents of a young girl who was rape. They are trying to seek justice through the slow process of prosecution at Court E.

A young girl at an MSF clinic who is a rape survivor trying to seek prosecution through Court E.

Ester, a rape victim in Liberia, plays with a doll at the prosecutor’s office while waiting with her mother.

Photo of the Day: Photoshop Fun posted on February 17, 2010 - 12:46am
Photo of the Day: Peacekeeper Poses posted on February 15, 2010 - 9:52pm

I’m feeling very protected right now.

Okay, I was so excited to see that Malick Sidibé  won that I put up a blog post about it instantly. Now, hours later as my internet struggles to keep up with my photo-looking-desires, I realize that there are a couple of great photos from Africa of the total non-poverty porn vien included in the winners this year. Check out Francesco Giusti’s pictures of the sappeurs society in Congo, and Joan Bardeletti’s photo of a picnic on the beach in Mozambique, an aerial shot of JR’s awesome installation in Kiberia, and Denis Rouvre’s images of Senegalese wrestlers. There’s also plenty of standard fare that I won’t spend time linking to here, but, I’m happy to see these four examples mixed in.
Maybe this will be a good year for media in and about Africa. I certainly hope so.

Drawings on the Wall: LBDI and INRI posted on February 12, 2010 - 2:32pm

Some things change and others obviously don’t. The Liberian Development Bank has a new office in town on Tubman Boulevard, one of the main roads in Monrovia. But just behind the main road, this rusted and ominous sign tells a different story. See more photos from Drawings on the Walls here.