In better days Photo

Photographer’s Note

I took this picture 1984 from the window of a bus going from Mutare in eastern Zimbabwe to the capital Harare. There was plenty of food available, a few Zimbabwe-dollars was enough for a light meal and there was still a lot of optimism about the future development of the country, which had achieved its full independence only four years earlier.
Everything was not all right in Zimbabwe even then. There were many rumours about corruption in the government circles, and the army's feared fifth brigade had committed massacres on the Ndebele population in Matabeleland.
But noone in his right mind would have expected the disaster that has fallen upon this poor country during the past few years. Zimbabwe was basically a relaxed, friendly, well-functioning country with great possibilities. That now seems very very long ago.
This picture was scanned from a Kodachrome slide.

serp2000, saxo042, yaya13baut, fanni, Kielia, scyntilla has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jasmis (49559) 2009-02-18 3:48

Huge dose of exotics here. Colourful street life.
Regards.

COSTANTINO (22104) 2009-02-18 3:52

Good morning Gert
I would like to travel in this country which seems to be so colourful,so different..
Your shot shows it in an impressive,unique
way,many details to enjoy,people around thereI like their moving view,great lightness
have a nice day today
Costantino

serp2000 (9123) 2009-02-18 4:08

Hej, Gert,
Very interesting work from your archives. Good note, fine composition with the best colours. I read, The Zimbabwe government made the banknote with a lot of zero. Official cours is 1US$ = 100000000000000 Z$. I think, that the money collectors can change this money in more interesting cours ;))).
Regards,
Serghei

Wanda1 (10848) 2009-02-18 6:27

Hi Gert,
Sadly not quite the same scene anymore. A nice documentary image full of colour and life.
Regards
Wanda

saxo042 (15030) 2009-02-18 6:55

Hej Gert,
Plenty of happy people here with many colours and a lot of interesting details. There is a kind of "charming" tilt in this capture and the bus is an important addition, compositionwise. Interesting note!
Hälsningar
Gunnar

yaya13baut (2217) 2009-02-18 9:16

Hi Gert,
thanks for sharing this old picture, colorful and living... that's Africa.
But, unfortunately, Africa is also political unrest, (civil) wars, hunger, illness... in a lot of coutries. This continent never ends suffering !
Zimbabwe these years is an exemple of that... hope it'll be better again for the people.
Yannis

Buin (36754) 2009-02-18 10:40

Hallo Gert!
An important and thought provoking photo ... and an interesting one. What has been done to this people ...!
Greetings from Germany!
Frank

Waylim (10657) 2009-02-18 13:09

Gert,
A very scanned image, the colors are intense, the shadow area is a little harsh but the impression of the image is wonderful, the essense of Zimbabwe is really there. Such a great depiction of daily life and culture. Very similar in many third world countries where people come up to sell things at bus stops. Thanks
Way

fanni (8677) 2009-02-18 14:53

Hej Gert,
very good, interesting photo, and the tilt adds some dynamism to it, by the way! I also know that if you start correcting such tilted photos a big part of them gets cropped, which is not good at all! So better leave it tilted :) Thus this documentary shot looks as spontaneous as it was.
A huge variety of everything - people, food, transportation... and smiles! I like to see people smiling in this photo!
kind regards,
Elena

emka (21127) 2009-02-18 16:13

Hi Gert, hahaha, I know such scenes from the journeys in Asia or Latin America - the bus is coming and so are the vendors with a lot of things. Very colourful photo with smiling people. Very interesting note too. It is such a pity that instead of the better time it is worse and worse in that part of the world. I would like to see Africa (black one!) but I am still not brave enough.

Regards

Malgorzata

kschanna (2578) 2009-02-19 3:20

Hi Gert,

If we only could realise how simple life could be if we just let things be, if we would just let ourselves... be human, not power hungry polemicists, blinded by our greed and desires...if we could only do that, how simple would life be. But I guess human greed is a long way away from abolition...and some of us truly are complex beings.

This is a beautiful picture which captures the beauty of the people who are just, people like us. and your note is a testimony of your warm heart.

Thanks for sharing
Kamran

Kielia (8111) 2009-02-19 10:45

Hej Gert,
what a joyful and pleasant atmosphere and at the same time a very touching document since times have dramatically changed since then. The composition with it’s bright colors is wonderful. TFS!
Warm regards
Harriet

nirvana73 (8452) 2009-03-20 14:43

Hello Dear Gert
you took this picture in 1984
very nice picture from daily life in Zimbabwe
thanks for sharing and explanations
regards
Ozhan

noborders (14215) 2009-03-25 9:35

Great candid scene with a riot of colours. Sad to know what happened to that country...
Best,
C.