The kids love my camera.
After every photo that I take, I turn the camera around to show them the picture displayed on the small screen. The kids cheer and jab at the photo to identify themselves.
"Ona," they say. "Ine!" Look! Me!
 |
| "Ona, Celso!! Ona, Antoninho!" |
They also love to use my camera. They'll cling onto me and roll on the floor and grovel until I have no choice but to let them try and take a picture.
"Put it around your neck," I caution. "No, around your neck. Like this. Now, be careful. I'm taking this camera back home with me, too. Walk! WALK! Don't run!"
And off they go, to take a picture. It usually turns out something like this:
 |
| Que photogenic! |
None of the pictures are very good, but I save them, anyway. The kids have a unique way of capturing candid and un-posed moments, and their photos feel very sweet and legitimate. It's a way for me to see the town of Zobue from their point of view.
 |
| "Ervinha and Florinda" by Seni (16 years old) |
 |
| "Eight feet" by Ranito (12 years old) |
 |
| "Florinda's Baptism" by Seni (16 years old) |
 |
| "Joy" by Seni (16 years old) |
 |
| "Florinda and her Grandmothers" by Seni (16 years old) |
 |
| "A Boy at Lake Malawi" by Unknown |
 |
| "Hiking with the Dogs" by Seni (16 years old) |
 |
| "After Sunset" by Celso (11 years old) |
 |
| "Boy in Crowd" by Osvaldo (14 years old) |
 |
| "Dolicia Smiles" by Alzira (9 years old) |
 |
| "Hasvilde Strings a Soccer Ball" by Seni (16 years old) |
 |
| "Lisa and the Girls" by Tabita (7 years old) |
 |
| "Leguinha and Baby Efraim" by Gilda (5 years old) |
 |
| "Baby Efraim (Correction)" by Alzira (9 years old) |
 |
| "Noemia is Scared," by Shana (8 years old) |
 |
| "Lisa and Elias" by Ema (10 years old) |
 |
| "Eyes" by Alzira (9 years old) |
 |
| "Smile" by Alzira (9 years old) |
 |
| "Ears" by Unknown |
 |
| "Ranito in the Front Yard" by Nelson (13 years old) |
 |
| "Watching a Play at the Praça" by Osvaldo (14 years old) |
 |
| "New Teeth" by Nelson (13 years old) |
 |
"Mana Lisa" by Alzira (9 years old)
Note: The weight of the camera makes aiming hard, especially for the little girls |
 |
| "Lisa and Zinia" by Tabita (7 years old) |
 |
| "Madalitso with his Easter Hat" by Ranito (12 years old) |
 |
| "Ranito as a Bunny" by Seni (16 years old) |
 |
| "Lisa on Easter" by Seni (16 years old) |
 |
| "Easter Balloons" by Nelson (13 years old) |
 |
| "Lisa's Easter Hat" by Tabita (7 years old) |
 |
| "Drawing Pictures on the Front Porch" by Shana (8 years old) |
 |
| "A Family Portrait" by Osvaldo (14 years old) |
 |
| "Teacher Dan and Teacher Lisa" by Osvaldo (14 years old) |
You'll notice that there's no karate in any of these photos. These pictures show Mozambican children at their very best-- smiling and laughing and naturally joyous. And that is the way that I'll always remember them.
No comments:
Post a Comment