Alpha Beach - Lagos - Nigeria
The shrinkage of the Caspian Sea
Refugees and mental health
Life in the Shadow of Grenfell
Carnevale di Viareggio
Behind the scenes in Vatican City
Costa Rica Cloud Forest
Hello Cazenove
Palio di Siena
Eyewitness: The Guardian's centre page
A story in Lampedusa
Migrants: South of Italy
Calais camp

Alpha Beach - Lagos - Nigeria

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/29/rising-seas-have-flooded-this-lagos-town-three-times-can-it-survive

Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

Located 15 minutes off Lekki-Epe, the major Lagos expressway, Alpha Beach was, until recently, a popular destination for many Lagos residents – one of the cheaper and more accessible beaches for people in Nigeria’s booming capital looking to get away. Today, however, many of the businesses catering for tourists and beachgoers have been literally washed away, as Okun Alfa has seen shoreline erosion and ocean surges destroy everything from buildings to roads to electricity poles.
Three times in the past 15 years flood waters have destroyed many of the community’s structures. Each time the community rebuilds. Many now call this the city’s “fourth incarnation” – and they expect a fourth flood, too. The municipality’s low-lying elevation – it is just 15 metres above sea level on average – makes it particularly vulnerable, and residents say they aren’t sure how much longer Okun Alfa itself will exist.

With a sense of despair setting in, last year the residents decided to bring in the services of Yeye Asimolowo Ganiyat, a priestess of the Yoruba deity Osun. She and the community have agreed to conduct a weekly procession through the town with a cow, ending at the ocean, where the animal is sacrificed.
The turn to religion is perhaps not surprising given that the people here have spent decades badgering government officials to address the threat of the rising sea, to no avail. Time after time, government hopefuls use the crisis as a way to gain votes – and then do nothing.

One of the many building collapsed.
The water front use to bemoan meters beyond this point.

Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Henry (left) with his friend Prince Joshua. Henry is the owner of the Space Tavern


Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Wosilat, she lives in the community with her family


Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Black and White use to be a recording studio.
Brother Kehinde still lives in the building


Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Aisha, local resident

Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Kunle Qudus, 38. Born and raised on the community


Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

After a torrential storm the roads gets floated and this happens very frequently


Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Brother Kehinde photographed on the church built on the beach


Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Dunes are created by the locals to help protecting the village


Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

Yeye Asimolowo Ganiyat, religious leader. She moved here 1 year ago to help “Calming the Waters” spiritually and lead weekly procession


Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

a shrine to help “Calming the Waters”


Alpha Beach is located in a community called Okun Alfa.
Okun Alfa is a coastal community located in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, on the coastline by the Atlantic Ocean. The Aworis’ are believed to be the first settlers of the area.

The most recent official population census in 2007, put the population of residents of Okun Alfa at 7000, a figure believed to have since grown to over 10,000 by the Baale (Traditional Ruler) of the area, Yusuf Elegushi Atewolara

The community’s beach, known as Alpha Beach, used to be a popular tourist destination for many fun seekers at weekends and festive periods.

Like every riverine community, the Okun Alfa people were predominantly fishermen and women.
increasingly worrisome ocean surge and shoreline erosion in recent years have claimed the beach and now threatening the existence of the community, with massive flooding which has destroyed property worth millions of Naira, including power lines, electricity poles, tarred roads, residential buildings and hotels, shops, palm plantations and fish farms, all submerged.

The shrinkage of the Caspian Sea

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/20/the-shrinking-sea-why-the-caspian-is-under-threat-a-photo-essay

The Caspian Sea is shrinking, at an unprecedented speed.
Touching five countries (Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan), the Caspian is the world’s largest enclosed body of water, with a shoreline of 1,400km, but also the shallowest. Some areas are only about 4-6 meters deep.
According to a new report in the Institute of Hydrology and Ecology, which will be published at the end on 2023, it has fallen near the lowest-recorded level of -29m below sea level, recorded in 1977; the average annual level in 2023 is already below this level, and the rate of decline is accelerating: it is now at nearly 23.3 centimetres per year. In June, the local Aktau authority declared a state of emergency.
The decline is particular upsetting given the fate of the similar Aral Sea – once the fourth largest lake in the world, now barely visible on the map
The Caspian’s drop-in sea level is felt most strongly on its shallow northern coast. Kaydak and Komsomolets bays have vanished, following Mertviy (Died) Kultuk bay which was lost at the end of the last century. Habitats are becoming more susceptible to storm surges, extensive shoals are forming and the entire north-eastern coastline is shifting – since 2008 it has retreated by an average of about 42km, and 6,821 square kilometres has dried up.
The factors are both natural and anthropogenic. The main tributaries of the Caspian Sea – the Volga and the Ural, both of which originate in Russia – have lost a lot of water. Lower precipitation and higher temperatures are factors, but so too is growing water consumption due to human demand
Meanwhile, Aktau is mushrooming. Originally a small uranium mining settlement, a new nuclear power station and a desalination plant transformed the steppes into a small city; the oil and gas export industry has seen it boom even more. The limited desalination system is barely sufficient to sustain its demand for water.
Two hundred kilometres north across the steppe, meanwhile, is the small fishing village of Fort Shevchenko, local fishermen have seen the conditions change – not just the shrinking sea but increased industrial production and oil extraction that have polluted the water. Ever since the large oil company has arrived in 1993, water pollution has worsened. In December 2020, the mysterious deaths of 2,500 seals made international news.
The Kazakh government is taking small steps to protect the sea. It has established a protected Northern Zone for seals and sturgeon.

Aktau.
Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

Aktau. Graffiti.

the man on the graffiti is Ahmet Baitursynuly (5 September 1872 — 8 December 1937) was a Kazakh intellectual who worked in the fields of politics, poetry, linguistics and education.

Aktau.
Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

Aktau.
Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

the pier once built in water, now stands in dry land

Aktau.
Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

Aktau.
Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

World war 2 monument in Aktau. A dome with an eternal flame

Aktau. Graffiti.

The graffiti is dedicated to military women during the World War II.
the one on the front is Khiuaz Qayrqyzy Dospanova
was a Kazakh pilot and navigator who served during World War II in the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, nicknamed the "Night Witches." In addition to being the first Kazakh woman officer in the Soviet Air Force,[1] she was the only Kazakh woman to serve in the "Night Witches".

the second woman on the wall is
Manshuk Zhiengalikyzy Mametova. 23 October 1922 – 15 October 1943) was a machine gunner of the 100th Rifle Brigade in the 21st Guards Rifle Division of the 3rd Shock Army on the Kalinin Front during the Second World War. She became the first Kazakh woman to be awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union after the Supreme Soviet posthumously awarded her the title on 1 March 1944.[

Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

The beautiful sunset in Aktau.

Zhana-Ozen (husband) Saltanat . They lived near Aktau for 5 years. Sagadat was born in the city. Saltanat was born and raised in Beyneu.

Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

the pier once built in water, now stands in dry land

Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

The beautiful sunset in Aktau.

Gulbarshyn Bakhtiyar moved to Aktau in 2010.
“Previously, people came to the coast and threw coins and made a wish. There used to be lot more water and those rocks were under water’
He doesn't know the reasons and how it can be solved. Maybe the Caspian Sea will repeat the fate of the Aral

Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

scientific researcher Assel Baimukanova from the Institute of Hydrology and Ecology stands in front some of the 10 tonnes of rubbish they collected from the Caspian Sea in the previous 20 days

in the steppe along the Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

The infinite steppes along the Caspian Sea

the Small fishing village of Fort Shevchenko on the Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

Local fisherman Mir Zholdybaev, 67. He has been fishing for nearly 50 years

the Small fishing village of Fort Shevchenko on the Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

Akimzhanov Daniyar, 35, which is the president of the local fisherman association

the Small fishing village of Bautino on the Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

The Caspian Seal.
A century ago, their population was in the millions but now the estimated number is around 70000 and as consequence, they have been added to the International Union for Conservation of Natures Red list and declared a protected species in danger of extinction.

Around the table they show me images of dead seals they found on the coast

Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

Local green activist Azamat Sarsenbayev

Caspian Sea. Mangystau region, West Kazakhstan.

The power station, BN-350 FBR

Refugees and mental health

displacement and suspension

Hundreds of thousands of migrants have crossed deserts, the snows of the Alps, or Balkan forests carrying the weight of similarly traumatic events, to find a new life in an increasingly inhospitable Europe. Once they get there – if they do – how do they begin to process the painful experiences that prompted their journeys?
Depression, PTSD, anxiety, self-harming, insomnia and panic attacks are among the growing mental health issues faced by asylum seekers who find themselves trapped in fear and uncertainty in Europe. In camps on the outskirts of major cities, or in safe houses, or on the pavements of European capitals, a million people await their destiny. Aid groups such as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) have been forced to step in to provide psychiatric care for this population of often highly disturbed people.

The sense of displacement and suspension are the main elements that come across when talking to any asylum seeker.
The uncertainty of their condition, the inability to work, to know if and when they will gather official documentation, to know if they could stay and settle or once again disappear in the shadow and continue their journey. Many have been talking about 'facing a second war', a physiological war, which is more complex than an actual one.

Commissioned by the Guardian and MSF I travelled to 4 different cities in Europe (Belgrade, Athens, Brussels and Gothenburg) focusing on the 'second stage' of the integration process. Rather than visiting camps I focused in big cities and met people that have been living in cities context for months or years

Moona, 33, Iran, Belgrade
Before undergoing gender reassignment surgery, Moona, 33, lived as a male professor in Iran. She was married and a had a daughter. Iran does not tolerate homosexuality, but it does allow its citizens to undergo state-subsidised gender reassignment surgery. At the beginning of 2015, tired of living as a man, Moona signed up. She was eventually fired and forced to leave the country in 2018. Tormented by panic and anxiety attacks, she now lives in a safe house for vulnerable people in Belgrade, Serbia

Moona, 33, Iran, Belgrade
Before undergoing gender reassignment surgery, Moona, 33, lived as a male professor in Iran. She was married and a had a daughter. Iran does not tolerate homosexuality, but it does allow its citizens to undergo state-subsidised gender reassignment surgery. At the beginning of 2015, tired of living as a man, Moona signed up. She was eventually fired and forced to leave the country in 2018. Tormented by panic and anxiety attacks, she now lives in a safe house for vulnerable people in Belgrade, Serbia

Asadi, 45, Iran, Belgrade
For two years, Asadi, 45, his wife, Latifa, 28, and their two children lived in a migrant camp in Bulgaria, where aid groups have repeatedly reported abuse and humiliation at the hands of the police. The family, who escaped Iran in 2015, eventually arrived in Serbia in 2018. Asadi began to suffer from a tremor in his hand. After a series of tests, the doctors diagnosed him with Parkinson’s disease. Asadi does not accept this diagnosis, and other doctors have not excluded the possibility it may be caused by stress

Ahmad, 16, Afghanistan, Belgrade
Ahmad fled Afghanistan as a child, after seeing his father murder his mother and sister. When he reached Iran, like many Afghan children he found himself homeless, and lived on the streets for two years. He arrived in Belgrade in 2018. He suffered from depression, self-harming and has tried to end his life a few times. He attends school and spends much of his time drawing the faces of the migrants he meets in the Médecins Sans Frontières clinic. His dream is to exhibit portraits in the city’s galleries

Azar, 16, Iran, Belgrade
Azar was separated from his father after they left Iran in 2018. ‘I’ve been through a lot, too much. My head is still dealing with many of the things I’ve seen.’ He tried to reach Croatia from Bosnia but was caught by the police. He ended up in Belgrade, Serbia, where he makes hamburgers on the street for €350 (£317) a month. His hair has begun to turn grey and he struggles to control his fits of rage

Arghavan, 46, Iran, Athens
Arghavan was part of a communist movement in Teheran and had to leave suddenly after her political leader was arrested. She hasn’t seen her son, who travelled with her before leaving for Germany, for a year, and her daughter for two years. Arghavan’s days are spent walking her dog, visiting an MSF doctor for the diabetes she has developed and attending monthly counselling sessions. ‘I wanted to be what I am, an atheist and a feminist, and all of that I found in communism,’ says the former driving instructor. ‘Today I feel like a mouse in a trap.’

Barshank and Pinar, Syrian, Athens.
They are two young Syrian Kurdish gay men, who were best friends in Syria, having grown up in the same small village. They lost touch when the war started and few years later they found each other in Athens, Greece

Maha, 23, Syria, Athens
Maha has three children, aged four, two and four months. She lives in Athens. A former nurse, Maha arrived in Greece ahead of her husband, Hussein. She may have escaped the bloody conflict that has engulfed her country but, 18 months after reaching Europe, she is still captive to it. ‘I feel as if I am living the war all over again, although this time it is a war that is fought within the four walls of my apartment, a psychological war that inhabits my mind.’ She plans to write a book about the suffering of refugees

Mohammed, 36, Afghanistan, Brussels
Suicidal thoughts have tormented Mohammed since he arrived in Belgium. He left his wife and two daughters in Afghanistan after his father-in-law, who did not approve of their marriage, killed his father and sister before his eyes. ‘They killed my family in the space of five minutes,’ he says. They would have killed him too, but he miraculously survived a bullet. Today, he lives in Brussels, but it is far from how he had imagined Europe. He says he was repeatedly beaten and stripped by Belgian and French policemen, and had a police dog set on him, to frighten him

Abdul Salam, 26, Yemen, Brussels
Abdul’s home city was destroyed by Saudi bombs, leaving him with nowhere to consider home. His extraordinary journey took him from Yemen to Malaysia, then on to Sudan, Armenia, Mali and Morocco. He was eventually transferred to Madrid and then in March 2018 arrived to the migrant camp on the outskirts of Brussels. He suffers from sleeping disorders and panic attacks. He has had one asylum request rejected and Belgium threatened to send him back to Spain. While he prepares to reapply, all he can do is walk the streets and wait for something to change

Muntaser, 30, Darfur, Brussels
Aged 13, Muntaser witnessed children and women being killed in front of him in Darfur. He was held in prison and tortured for months after being accused of supporting opposition forces. In March 2016 he left southern Sudan, crossed the desert and arrived in Libya. After some months, Muntaser boarded a dinghy bound for Sicily and then headed for the Alps. He suffers from PTSD and now lives in Brussels

Ridouane, Morocco, Brussels,
Rid is a gay young man from Morocco. He has been living and studying in Brussels for over 5 years and now he is still waiting for an official refugee status

Zekrollah, 20, Afghanistan
Two autumns ago, after hearing that Sweden was about to send thousands of Afghans home, Zekrollah left the migrants’ camp and headed for the woods, where he tried to kill himself. Zekrollah, Afghan-born but raised in Iran, left Tehran in 2013, when he was 14. His life since has become an ordeal. He was arrested because he didn’t have documents, beaten by the police and forced to clean the prison officers’ washroom. He crossed the Balkans, spending his nights in the woods. Since 2016, he has been waiting for Sweden to recognise his refugee status

Life in the Shadow of Grenfell

Client: The Guardian

After Grenfell's tragedy it was important to understand what life is for people that live in the area and the people that live in the tower opposite Grenfell.
Everybody in that communities has been touched deeply from what happened on the 14th of June 2017, when over 70 people lost their life.

The Silchester Estate was built in the late 60s in Notting Dale, an area renowned for its piggeries in the 19th century, its slums in the 30s and its race riots in the 50s. The estate’s four towers were part of a utopian vision, creating new communities in the sky, surrounded by open land. Ashby is more proud of the open land than anything else: while the nearby Westway is clogged with traffic pumping out pollution, this garden, which is open to the general public, allows the area to breathe.

After the fire, it was reported that Kensington and Chelsea had reserves of £274m, making it one of the richest councils in the country. It was also revealed that the fire-resistant zinc cladding approved by Grenfell residents had been replaced in the refurbishment contract with combustible aluminium panels, to save £293,368 on the tower’s £10m regeneration bill.

The result of an incredible 4 months collaborations with the community living in the shadow of Grenfell. Read the full article of Simon Hattenstone watch the great videos of Alex Healey in the link below

Whitstable House.
View from outside the barrels that surround Grenfell Tower

The view over Grenfell Tower from the 20th, last floor, of Whitstable House

Lina lives on the 20th and top floor of Whitstable Tower.
“We never really noticed the tower before,” Lina says, “but now you can’t not look at it. I kept waking up that night, but it was only at 6.30am that I went into the kitchen. My window was open and I heard a helicopter, looked out and screamed.”

A local resident

The back of Whitstable House

Joe in his flat inside Whitstable House on the 14th floor

The entrance of Whitstable House

Rama is one of the resident of Whitstable.
German born, son of Polish refugees.

Nahid Ashby is a long term tenant at Silchester Estate
Photographed in the her flat in Frinstead house on the 16th floor

Under the A40 flyover

Inside the Maxilla Club run by Joe and his parents Albert and Margaret Walsh

Inside Rama's kitchen in Whitstable.
His wife put the curtain up to avoid constantly looking at Grenfell.

Whitstable House and the A40, Westway, at dusk as seen from a balcony of Dixon House

Carnevale di Viareggio

The Carnival of Viareggio in Tuscany is one of Italy’s most spectacular street events. It has taken place since 1873. It fills a month of day and night festivities with parades of allegorical floats, parties and masked balls.

I have photographed the last 4 editions of the Carnival, focusing on the preparation and everyday life in the Cittadella. The "Cittadella del Carnevale", which opened in 2001, is an extraordinary architectural complex dedicated to the creation and preservation of the carnival, and is where the floats are prepared on the morning of the parade.

The carnival is a competition between all the floats and masquerades, and at stake are the honour and livelihoods of many people.

The main raw material of the carnival is papier-mâché. A local manufacturer, Antonio D’Arliano, was the first to make a sculpture for the carnival using the method in 1925.

There are four categories of float that make up the parade. First class, with nine giant floats, second class with four, the group masquerades of nine floats, and the single masquerades of 15 floats. The differences are in size, complexity and the budget available. It can take over six months to build the huge floats.

Here is a small selection of photos

Behind the scenes in Vatican City

Vatican City is a highly secretive world in miniature containing in less than half a square kilometre everything a state needs.

The Roman church has kept its political power well established through the centuries. Catholicism has always been at the centre of Italian society, but what is decided in the Vatican does influence the life of billion people around the globe.

The sense of history, the magnificent spaces and the silence are elements that wrap your senses when you walk around the Vatican. Tradition, hierarchy, spirituality and big events have always been at the heart of the Church.

Thanks to an extraordinary Jubilee, which normally happen every 25 years, and after many months of letters and meetings, I have been given an unprecedented opportunity: I have spent 2 months documenting some of the behind the scene and mainly the people in the Vatican.

From the nuns that work in the Sacristy ironing the Pope’s and clergies’ garments to the gardeners, from the Sampietrini in charge of the maintenance of St Peter to the Pope’s driver and the Swiss Guards, my work is an homage to the people at the base of the Vatican’s hierarchy showing situations rarely seen by the public.

A Swiss Guard keeps watch on the Scala Regia that connect the Apostolic Palace and St Peter's basilica

The key holder are in charge of opening some of the hundreds doors in the Vatican

A Sampietrino (people that are looking after the Basilica) polishing the floor of St Peter

Swiss Guard Kremer getting ready for the swearing-in ceremony

Renzo Cestier, the most senior of the 3 official Pope's driver filling the tank of the Popemobile

A nun walking inside St Peter's

Swiss Guards marching just outside the basilica of St Peter heading back to their headquarters

Inside St Peter's

Suor Rita, Marta, Elvira and Adelaide inside the Sacristy of St Peter ironing the garments for the clergy and for the Pope

St Peter's altar

Inside the Sacristy of San Giovanni in Laterano. Moments after the end of the ceremonies the clergy returns the garments worn

Early morning. Moments before another solemn ceremony a cardinal rests in front of the Holy Door

Early morning inside St Peter's in front of the grave of Pope John Paul II and senior clergymen are dressed and waiting for the beginning of another grand ceremony

Inside the Apostolic Palace, moments before the diplomats will walk the corridor to meet the Pope for the official greeting of the new year

A Swiss guard inside St Peter

The Pope and his closest team walking in the Prima Loggia inside the Apostolic Palace to go to meet the Diplomatic Corps for the traditional exchange of new year greetings

Costa Rica Cloud Forest

For four decades, Prof. Nalini Nadkarni has studied cloud forest in the Costa Rican town of Monteverde. In that time, global warming has wrought big changes – and now threatens to dry out the area’s lush hanging gardens for good. Only about 1% of the planet’s woodlands are cloud forest. The montane cloud forest is one of the world’s three most sensitive along with the threatened coral reefs and ice caps. And all indicative of a world that is experiencing climate change and that’s happening now. Nalini Nadkarni is sitting with her notebook and tape measure near the top of a strangler fig in Costa Rica’s Monteverde forest, on a branch 35 metres above the ground that is almost broad enough to walk along. Attached to the rope she has climbed to reach her perch, she squats among mosses, orchids and other plants that grow thickly on the bark, giving the canopy the impression of a hanging garden. Known as epiphytes – plants that grow on other plants – they are Nadkarni’s special field of scientific research, omnipresent in the unique ecosystem of Costa Rica’s montane cloud forest. They thrive between 1,500 and 1,800 metres and depend on their ability to take water and nutrients directly from the swirling mists that should cloak these slopes. But the continued existence of the cloud forest in Monteverde is under threat from global warming. Only occurring in a narrow altitude band whose upper limit is defined by where the mountain tops run out and by the altitude at which the trees can grow, it is being squeezed in a vice from below by warmer and drier weather patterns eradicating the enfolding cloud. Amphibians that once lived here have died back, to the point of species extinction in some cases. The breeding patterns of the area’s emblematic resplendent quetzals – the colourful birds that have long drawn tourists to the area – are being disrupted. Lowland species of bats and birds, including toucans, have begun moving into the cloud forest.

Hello Cazenove

These pictures are taken in London, in Hackney, specifically around and in Cazenove Rd.

The images are part of a bigger project and an exhibition developed in collaboration with the Hackney Museum about the road, the community and its surroundings.

Cazenove rd sum up the multiculturalism of the city, where within one road there is a Mosque, a Synagogue, a queer bar, plus the typical charity shop, the second hand shop, the art gallery, the organic shop etc etc...

Lag BaOmer is a traditional Jewish holiday. By somebody is interpreted as the anniversary of death

Rabbi Gluck, one of the spiritual local leader, photographed in his house

the beginning of Cazenove road

Palio di Siena

The culmination of the Palio di Siena is a 90-second horse race. But for Sienese, it is so much more than that: it is an embodiment of civic pride that has been held since 1656

The Palio di Siena horse race has been held twice a year, in July and August. Ten horses and riders representing ten of the city wards compete in a 3 laps race around the Piazzo del Campo. ThePalio is a way of life that dominates throughout the year.
There are seventeen contrade, or wards, in Siena. Each contrada is a city within a city that provides a social structure, a support network and civic identity. The Palio is the culmination of the rivalry between the contrade.

Each Contrada is like a Republic, with a Parliament, and assembly. There is a Priore, which the head of the Contrada, the Captain which is the Ministry of War and in charge of the Palio and many other roles.
Quote "The Palio in fact is like a War". The Palio is not a re-enact, is not made for tourists. It's real and it can get brutal.

The Tratta is the day that open the Palio. 4 days before the actual race.
40 horses run around the Campo. Only 10 get picked by the different Captains.
Through a lottery, the 10 selected horses get given to each Contrada. Some horses are better than others and the Campo knows it. The "Barbaresco" is in charge to pick the horse and bring it back to the Contrada. Only in that moment the Captain and i Mangini (his deputies) start contacting the jockeys.
Once the jockey has agreed, he arrives in the Contrada and kept in a secured place for 4 days and escorted 24h a day.

From the evening of the Tratta the test run begin. There are 2 test run a day till the day of the Palio, in total 6 test run.

In these 3 evenings each Contrada, even the ones that don't run, hold the 'cenini' (small dinners). The night before the Palio is the main dinner with the jockey too.

The atmosphere and the tension in the city grow every day, till the day of the race.
Everything ends in 90 seconds but a victory last for ever and get celebrated throughout the following year.

Contrada Lupa

The Contradiaioli follows the horse as they parade and gather from the different part of Siena into the Pizza del Campo, (the square where they run the Palio)

Contrada Pantera

Kids from Pantera looking at their horse

The horse of the Giraffa going back to the stable

The stable of the Contrada Pantera

Members of the Contrada Pantera wearing the official uniforms in the colours of the Contrada for the Historical Parade before the Palio

The horse that will run the Palio di Siena for the Pantera is blessed inside the Chiesa (church) of the Contrada Pantera.

kids in the Contrada Giraffa

Stable of the Contrada Giraffa

The Passeggiata Storica (historical parade)
just before the actual start of the race in the piazza del Campo

The horse of the Tartuca

La Mossa is the name of the starting line

The horse of Contrada Aquila

Tension is building up moment before the beginning of the race

Final lap, the Lupa passes the Drago and finish first

Jonatan Bartoletti aka Scompiglio celebrating the victory of the Palio and his place on history having won his second Palio on a row

Eyewitness: The Guardian's centre page

Client: The Guardian

Modern newspapers face aggressive competition for the reader's attention. Television and the internet have proved more effective at delivering breaking news fast, and a contemporary newspaper redesign must focus on the things which print can do better than other media.

The "eyewitness" centre spread is the most dramatic expression of this philosophy devoting the 60cm x 40cm centre spread to a single news image.
The image sits within a typographic frame, which brands it as part of the news run. The labelling is an enlarged version of the system used on other pages, but the colours - muted blue and greys – were selected so as not to compete with the images, and to stand apart from the warmer palette on the news pages, to suggest a distinction between text-led and visual content.

In an age of fast-moving but low-resolution images the still photograph has enormous power. Eyewitness has shown that even time-pressed newspaper readers value the opportunity to engage at their own pace with a photograph which can offer a depth of detail and meaning.

Santa Maria in Paganica church, L'Aquila, Italy
An earthquake hit the region one year earlier

Calabria, Italy

Cava di Michelangelo, Marble quarries.
The best marble in the world for sculptures. Michelangelo was choosing the blocks for his creations from this very place.
Apuane Alps, Carrara, Italy

Mondello's beach
Palermo, Italy

Olive harvesting,
Italy

Naples, Italy

The Colosseum, Rome

Lisbon, Portugal

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
London, England

Oktoberfest
Munich, Germany

The Blue Mosque at dawn, Istanbul, turkey

Funfair
Munich, Germany

A summer day inside the As Roma football club,
Rome, Italy

A celebration to the Routemaster buses,
Trafalgare Square, London, England

A story in Lampedusa

Thousands of migrants continue to arrive in Italy, crossing the Mediterranean Sea by boat and risking their lives to reach Europe.

In the last three years more than 50000 people have arrived on board more than 700 boats. Around 60% come from Maghreb,18% from East Africa, 15% from West Africa and the rest from Subcontinental Indian and Middle East.

Once they've landed, migrants are identified by the police and kept inside the Cpa (first aid centre) for few days, then redirected to other centres where they can stay longer and have their future decided. Some of them are granted asylum and others are sent back home. Approximately 20% of the 20.000 people who arrived in Lampedusa were deemed to be in need of international protection.

Between 2006 and 2008 there were several "tragic landings" reported, with an unknown number of deaths.

Since 2002 MSF has established a project at landings for one of the main entry doors to Europe, the island of Lampedusa. Although migration has become a structural phenomenon in Italy, reception conditions for these people have not markedly improved and the living conditions for undocumented migrants are usually extremely difficult. Even though high numbers of boat arrivals are foreseen, access to care for illegal migrants still remains a mirage in various parts of the country.

Lampedusa CPSA, holding centre (first aid centre).

Every person landed is supply with a number and the date of the arrived

Queueing for breakfast

The men dormitory

Patrolling the sea with the Italian Coast Guard

A migrant just rescued by the Coast Guard

Before going to the dump, the bigger boat has to be destroyed at the port.
This boat has landed on the 17th bringing 376 migrants to Italy

Lampedusa CPSA, holding centre (first aid centre).

the men are kept in a diferent area form the women and under-age

After maximum 3 days they should leave to other destination.
Ready to depart to other CPT in Italy

Lampedusa Graveyard where bodies found at sea of undocumented migrants get buried

Migrants: South of Italy

The dark side of the orange harvest.

Rosarno in Calabria. The town, in middle of the toe of Italy, is an agricultural community of 15,000 people. It is one of the places where undocumented workers queue each morning for jobs on the Italian orange and olive groves, and in the juice and candied peel factories that supply northern Europe. About 5,000 of them live in the Rosarno area alone.

Recently the international charity Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) became so concerned about the plight of migrants in Calabria that it sent a team to assess the situation. It found that most migrants were living in conditions that do not even meet the minimum standards set by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for refugee camps in Africa. The organisation now runs free clinics in Calabria for undocumented migrants.

Migrant workers can only work on average three days a week. They can earn 25 euro a day, but some farmers have recently tried to cut pay to 11 euros a day as they find the price for oranges and clementines has fallen below their cost of production.

Many farmers have stopped harvesting their fruit because the world price is too low to cover their costs of labour, even using cheap migrants. They are facing competition from Morocco and Spain.

Rosarno.
The queue at damn on the main road of the town hoping to get some daily work

One of the squatted ex factory where migrants live
Samia is from Ghana and due to an accident he cant work

Inside one of the squatted ex factory where migrants live

Rosarno.
Squatted factory

A juice factory

The MSF clinic in Rosarno

Rosarno.
Another squatted factory

Migrants from Ivory cost arrived just a week ago squatting a derelict building in the orange grove

Inside the squatted factory at night

Calais camp

On the last days before it would have been evacuated, I went Inside the squatted centre where migrants have been previous living and sheltered in Calais.

Around 1,000 migrants are building a shantytown known as the ‘new jungle’ on the wasteland around the Jules Ferry day centre.

The Jules Ferry centre, is the first centre opened by the French government and for a few hours each afternoon, allows one hot meal, access to showers, toilets, electricity points to recharge phones and advice on migration and asylum issues.

The new day centre will provide overnight accommodation for 50 women and children but there is no overnight provision for men

Outside the small centre the condition are inhuman as no shelter or running water is provided.

Building shelters in what is called the 'jungle’