For today's Through the Lens, I'm going to flip things around a little and instead of showcasing a particular African photographer, I'm going to show you one of the places in Africa that I would most like to visit: Harper in Cape Palmas, Liberia.
I know you are thinking..."why does this chick want to visit a bombed out town that's practically impossible to get to?" Well, that alone is about 60% of the appeal. I'm fascinated by war-torn spaces and the fact that a place is hard to get to definitely ups its appeal to me. The rest of the reasons are a combination of several factors. I've heard about Cape Palmas most of my life and even went there as a young kid (although my memory is very very vague) and it's always seemed like a really distant but intriguing place to visit. The fact that it this is a coastal area has a colonial past dating back to the 1400s via the Portuguese is also a another major part of the appeal for me.
Until that voyage begins, I have these great shots by Monrovia-based photographer Glenna Gordon who provides other stunning images of the country via her website and blog.
:: Please note that all photos by Glenna Gordon have been removed at the request of the photographer. Please continue to visit her site to see more images of Harper and Liberia ::
3 comments:
Sigh... I grew up there. It is where I am going to retire. :-) These pics, sad and war-torn as they are, stir up so many wonderful memories though... I spent many days playing on those church steps just like those kids.
I'm so glad that you are able to see beyond the destruction and remember the good times that you had in this place. I truly think that that is a key ingredient in making this place look even better than it once did and truly a place anyone would want to retire to.
I hope you continue to hold on to the good memories cause the bad ones aren't worth the effort of holding on to. :)
The second photo looks especially Portuguese. Fascinating.
Post a Comment