Tag Archives: humanitarian

January 26, 2017 – The new president of The Gambia, Adama Barrow, arrives home. Images © Jason Florio

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January 26, 2017

Welcome home, Mr. President!

A new era for The Gambia, West Africa

President Adama Barrow returns, Gambia - arrives back into the country after his self-imposed exile in Senegal © jason_florio-9706

President Adama Barrow of The Republic of The Gambia © Jason Florio .

President Adama Barrow returns, Gambia

‘A new era for The Gambia – President Adama Barrow arrives home from a brief exile in Senegal. Tens of thousands lined the road from the airport – it took 4 hours to make a journey that normally would take only a quarter of an hour… it was worth every minute.’ Jason Florio

#GambiaHasDecided

President Adama Barrow returns, Gambia - 100's of 1000's of people welcome back their new President, Adama Barrow, of the Republic of The Gambia © Jason Florio

Hundreds of thousands of people welcome back their new President, Adama Barrow, of the Republic of The Gambia © Jason Florio.

On Dec 1st, 2016 the Gambian people voted out their autocratic President Yahya Jammeh, after 22 years in power, and elected Adama Barrow as their new president. Jammeh conceded defeat, but a week later announced that he was annulling the election results and would not step down. A grassroots movement #GambiaHasDecided emerged in reaction.

Shortly after Gambia's new President, Adama Barrow was sworn into office in the Gambian Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, supporters gathered at West Field Junction in the Gambian commercial hub of Serrekunda. The ex-president, Yahya Jammeh, is just a few kilometers away in the island capital of Banjul refusing to step down. Image © Jason Florio

17th January 2017 – Shortly after Gambia’s new President, Adama Barrow was sworn into office in the Gambian Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, supporters gathered at West Field Junction in the Gambian commercial hub of Serrekunda. The ex-president, Yahya Jammeh, is just a few kilometers away in the island capital of Banjul refusing to step down. Image © Jason Florio.

 

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2019 – Currently working on

‘Gambia – Victims, and Resisters of a Regime‘ #Portraits4PositiveChange

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Portraits of Victims and Resisters, The Gambia © Jason Florio

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Gambia – Victims and Resisters of a Regime

#Portraits4PositiveChange Gambia

Portraits for Positive Change Gambia – Dodou Sanyang in the room of his recently deceased mother. She was one of over a thousand elderly people abducted on the order of the former president, Yahya Jammeh in 2009. Groups of Jammeh’s paramilitary troops along with his youth brigade, The Green Boys and ‘magicians’ from Guinea went from village to village as part of a nationwide hunt for witches.

The alleged witches were held for up to five days in secret locations and made to drink ‘Kubehjaro’, a hallucinogenic substance, and then forced to confess to witchcraft. Some were also severely beaten and robbed by their captors. Some died at the detention sites, and others like Sanyang’s mother suffered years of illness before dying. Many in Sanyang’s village believe the elderly there were not targeted for witchcraft, but because the village had been an opposition stronghold –  Essau, Northbank Division, The Gambia.

Portraits for Positive Change Gambia - Gambia Victims and Resisters of a Regime - Portraits4PositiveChange portraits ©Jason Florio, the Gambia

Gambia Victims and Resisters of a Regime – #Portraits4PositiveChange ©Helen Jones-Florio, the Gambia

Along with making the portraits, we have been filming testimonies with each of the victims, and resisters. Here we are with our Gambian fixer and translator, in Essau, Madi. Here’s how you can help make a change.

#Portraits4PositiveChange Gambia

From 1994 -2017 President Yahya Jammeh ruled the Gambia, West Africa, as his own personal fiefdom, crushing dissent, and opposition, with brutality.

“I will rule for a billion years if Allah wills it” Yahya Jammeh

His personal hit squad and intelligence agency carried out tortures, and assassinations with impunity – journalists were gunned down and disappeared, ministers were jailed, students shot in cold blood, and even his own brother and sister were murdered on his orders.

Yusupha Mbye - student shot during peaceful protest - Gambia Victims and Resisters of a Regime - Portraits4PositiveChange Portraits ©Jason Florio, the Gambia

Gambia Victims and Resisters of a Regime – Portraits4PositiveChange – Yusupha Mbye was shot by security forces whilst attending a student peaceful protest in 2000 when he was 18 years old. He was left paralyzed ©Jason Florio

With Jammeh’s 2016 election defeat, he went into exile after a standoff with regional forces, and the victims of his regime started to come forward.

in Equatorial Guinea Deposed President Jammeh waves goodbye to followers who came to see him off from Banjul International Airport as he leaves for exile in Equatorial Guinea. Jammeh ruled the Gambia for 22 years ©Jason Florio, January 2017

Deposed President Yahya Jammeh waves goodbye to followers who came to see him off from Banjul International Airport as he leaves for exile in Equatorial Guinea, January 2017 © Jason Florio 

Gambia Has Decided
Ex-President of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, Roots Homecoming Festival © Jason Florio

Then President of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, Roots Homecoming Festival, 2014 © Jason Florio / Getty Images.

#Portraits4PositiveChange Gambia

To view more of the portraits and read the testimonies – florio@floriophoto.com

More updates, from the Gambia, coming soon

Jason Florio

 

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‘Gambia – Victims, and Resisters of a Regime’ – Portraits by Jason Florio

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‘Gambia – Victims, and Resisters of a Regime‘

 

Gambia Victims and Resisters – Joy Conker Sonko was targeted by a Yahya Jammeh supporting policewoman when she was 14 years old because her family was supporters of the government opposition UDP party. She was dragged from her family home, beaten, and her head smashed against a car and then detained in a cell, without arrest, for 4 days… see more of this work-in-progress at floriophoto.com.

#Portraits4PositiveChange

From 1994 -2017 President Yahya Jammeh ruled the Gambia, West Africa, as his own personal fiefdom, crushing dissent, and opposition, with brutality.

His personal hit squad and intelligence agency carried out tortures, and assassinations with impunity – journalists were gunned down and disappeared, ministers were jailed, students shot in cold blood, and even his own brother and sister were murdered on his orders.

With Jammeh’s 2016 election defeat, he went into exile after a standoff with regional forces, and the victims of his regime started to come forward.

GambiaHasDecided

So far, over 1000 victims and their families have registered with the Gambia Centre for Human Rights Violations to share their stories and help build international support to bring Jammeh to justice

This is a work in progress in collaboration with the GCHRV.

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Gambia Victims and Resisters – Sankung Bilajo was one of over a thousand elders abducted on the orders of the former Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh in 2009. Groups of Jammeh’s paramilitary troops along with his youth brigade, The Green Boys and ‘magicians’ from Guinea went from village to village as part of a nationwide hunt for witches. The alleged witches were held for up to five days in secret locations and made to drink ‘Kubehjaro’, a hallucinogenic substance, and then forced to confess to witchcraft. Some were also severely beaten and robbed by their captors… see more at:

Portraits Gambia Victims Jason Florio

 

Please check out my GoFundMe page to see more about this series and how you can help to be part of #Portraits4PositiveChange. 

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful 2019

Jason Florio

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Yahya Jammeh herbal AIDS/HIV ‘cure’ – portraits © Jason Florio

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Lamin Ceesay - took part in Yahya Jammeh AIDS/HIV herbal 'cure' trials, the Gambia - portrait ©Jason Florio

Lamin Ceesay – took part in Yahya Jammeh AIDS/HIV herbal ‘cure’ trials, the Gambia – portrait ©Jason Florio

Gambia – Victims and Resisters of a Regime

Lamin Ceesay was on of a number of HIV/AIDS patients coerced by former Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh, to stop taking their anti-retroviral drugs and be treated by him personally with his herbal HIV/AIDS ‘cure’. Jammeh’s treatment proved to be dangerous, and often fatal for many,… see more at floriophoto.com

#Portraits4PositiveChange

To find out more about this project, check out our GoFundMe page.

Jason Florio making #Portraits4PositiveChange, the Gambia - AIDS/HIV 'cure' patient, Lamin Ceesay ©Helen Jones-Florio

Jason Florio making #Portraits4PositiveChange, the Gambia ©Helen Jones-Florio.

I am currently in the Gambia, West Africa, working on a long-term portrait series, ‘Gambia – Victims, and Resisters of a Regime‘, #Portraits4PositiveChange, through January 2019. I am available for assignments – please contact me here

Jason Florio

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