09/20/2015
The villages that are portrayed in this book are without modern conveniences most urbanites would take for granted. Imagine life sans proper medical care, clean and running water or electricity. The picturesque backdrop that frames this forward is not a hiking trail or nature preserve, but the spring foliage taking root in the open irrigation and sewer ditch. The same trench that provides water for agriculture, also provides bathing facilities for both residents and their livestock, all the while utilized for waste drainage.
The living conditions are disparaging, but continuing in this photographic essay, consider the resilience and appreciation of life that it takes to persevere in this harshest of environs.
You may notice that no pubescent or adult women were photographed for this book. The Southern Afghans may have opened their lives to the camera lens, but there were no allowances to the stringent religious beliefs that prohibit interaction between women (of age) and non-family member men.
It was a heartbreaking yet hopeful experience to capture the character and beauty of the Southern Afghan people. The decades of war and poverty could be seen on the faces of the elders, while the children beamed with vibrant energy and curiosity. The tenacity of these people to endure is matched only by their willfulness to remain unchanged.
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to explore and document such a rich and storied culture.
-Alexander Salmon II
