Cactus & Tulip

Cactus & Tulip's views on traveling, music, and photography. 

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APOPO Cambodia - Landmine detecting HeroRATs

Cambodia is still one of the most landmine-affected countries in the world. At least 26 million explosive sub-munitions were dropped on Cambodia during the Vietnam War, mostly in eastern and north-eastern areas bordering the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Vietnam. The bombing is estimated to have left between 1.9 million and 5.8 million cluster munitions remnants.

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Beyond the Label - “Beautiful clothes, ugly reality”

Over the last couple of years, human rights organisations and global media have highlighted abuses encountered by workers in the ready made garment industry. Issues such as child labour, modern slavery and bad and unsafe working conditions have propelled into the international spotlight.

Even if media has shown the dark side of the industry, we really do not know much about the people behind our clothes. Very few projects have focused on workers’ daily life and struggles, and very few can answer questions such as what does their life look like?; why are they working in the industry?; what are their dreams?

For more than a year I lived in Bangladesh and spent time documenting the garment industry, but only the informal part of it. However, I also only focused on the bad conditions inside the factories and did not know much about workers’ lives outside.

As a consequence, I decided to collaborate with a Cambodian NGO, Center For Alliance of Labour and Human Rights (CENTRAL) based in Phnom Penh, and pursue a multimedia project with the aim of documenting the life of garment workers through a series of episodes based on themes. Workers opened up about their life and provided an intimate and different look inside their lives. The workers felt the necessity to take the opportunity to express their concerns, feelings and frustrations about their life. Aspects such as their daily commute from home to work, the struggle to survive on a minimum wage, life in a dormitory and their relationship with their environment are portrayed in the episodes.

According to Mr. Tola Meoun, Director of CENTRAL, the garment sector has experienced a rapid growth since the 1990’s, becoming Cambodia’s main industry today. It accounts for over 80% of all exports and employs around one million workers. This is the main source of paid employment for women and approximately 70% are young females from rural areas with no education, dreaming of a better life. Most of them started working at the age of 15. Since January 2016, the minimum wage has increased to 140 USD, the only industry in Cambodia with a fixed minimum wage. In most cases workers go beyond 48 hours a week, working 12 hours overtime (2 hours per day) and six days a week leaving little free time. A worker supports on average three to five family members. Indirect discrimination is still prevalent.

Beyond The Label aims to transform the viewer from a passive person to an activist who asks simple questions such as: who made my clothes?; do I feel proud wearing clothes knowing they were made by workers treated fairly? The viewer will come to understand what it feels like to be at the end of the value chain nowadays.

These videos are the voice of the million workers who produce name-brand clothing sold mainly in the US, Europe and Canada.

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Boîte à Fringues

In 2013-2014 Bangladesh exported garments worth 24.4 billion USD, making it the second largest exporting country in the world after China (130.1 billion USD 2013). The Bangladeshi garment industry has a very low efficiency rate compared to other exporting countries, meaning to say that if the work would be better organised/planned/executed by healthier or better trained workers they could export more than three times as much as they currently do with the same amount of workers in factories.

The country counts over 5,000 factories that produce clothes for the export. Well known brands like H&M, Gap, Walmart, Zara, Benetton, American Eagle, Marks&Spencer, New Look, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, V&D, C&A and Hema all have production going on in Bangladesh. In general, the more simple pieces (plain coloured T-shirts and casual tops and trousers) are made here, because the skills of workers and machines used do not allow to make more complicated or sophisticated pieces, that are worth more money.

The minimum wage for Bangladeshi garment workers is amongst the lowest in the world. A worker in a registered factory should earn at least 5,300 BDT (61 Euro) per month for a six-day workweek. Compared to China, where the lowest minimum wage is around 107 Euro per month, it shows why large (cheap) fashion brands are so keen to source from Bangladesh. The country aims to have its exports doubled by 50-year anniversary in 2021.

There is a hell of a lot of work left to be done to improve the lives of women and men working in those factories, as well as making businesses healthier. Sometimes I wonder what the people who make the clothes must think of the people wearing them; never ever would they wear shorts, bikinis or minimal summer dresses themselves nor would they have seen obese or 6,2ft tall people!

This video, shared with me by a friend, shows in a beautiful and touching way the hereafter for a piece of garment, after being dumped in a ‘boîte à fringues’. Many products of the materialistic consumption society are produced in Asia, used in Europe of North America and destroyed or recycled in Africa or Asia again. How sustainable is that?

The complete video “Unravel” can be watched here:

TULIP

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An Alternative guide to Singapore

36 hours in the “Food Porn Republic”

After spending 7 months in Dhaka and being exposed to chaos, noise and limited choice of food, I wanted to escape and have a full immersion in a capitalistic country where I can admire the selfishness of people, useless fancy shops, efficient transportation and where fast food is good food. And Singapore looked like the perfect choice with a mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian specialties. 

Find yourself a relatively cheap accommodation in the area between little India and the Farrer Park MRT stop - check Airbnb.com if you can’t find a descent offer. In order to avoid surprises, double check with your hotel or host that your room is not too tiny. This can really ruin your trip experience.

Suppose you have 36 hours and you are lost. This is all you need to know to visit Singapore to get a food orgasm out of it.

Friday, 4pm

Drop your bags and buy a MRT card in any a Metro station charge it with 12 Singaporean Dollars (price: 9 USD) this will allow you to have full access and freedom to travel around the efficient Singaporean underground during your stay. The card can be recharged at any time. Admire how people love to stare at the screen of their phones and enjoy the silence! 

7pm

Start your look into Singapore’s porn food and explore the Maxwell food center. You can’t get wrong with anything here. Like most of the food centers here, there is a variety of Indian, Malay and Chinese dishes. One of the most famous stands is the one from “Tian Tian Hainanese” with more than 40 years in this business. Get a full immersion with a roasted pork dish and the most beloved dish in Singapore; the famous chicken rice. Cool the heat with a fresh sugar cane juice. 

Try to arrive earlier because food disappears really fast and be ready to stand on a queu for at least 15 minutes. He closes when the food is finished. 

9pm

Hit Chinatown and make sure you check out the Mariamman Hindu temple before 9pm. If you are into photography this areas has great places for street photography. 

Alternatively, visit the Mustafa Centre in Little India at night if you want to get into the “Bhai” experience. The centre is open 24/7.

Saturday, 10 am

Kick off your day with a fantastic coffee and a brunch at “Tolido’s” in Bugis, or other brunch places in Jabar Street. I have to say that I was highly impressed by the quality of coffee in most places. For me a good cappuccino -  and I am really not talking about these unnecessary western chains where you pay millions for a stupid coffee and burn your mouth — is the one where the milk on top looks like foam when you play with your spoon and it’s not burning like a volcano’s lava on your tongue, which is one of the most annoying things in the world to me.

“Great food is like great sex. The more you have the more you want.” - Gael Greene

12 pm

Step out and explore the Photography Center “Objectifs”, DECK art space and the Singapore Art Museum for your cultural dose. Keep an eye on their websites for updated exhibitions. These places offer a contemporary look of Singapore’s fast evolving cultural obsession.

7pm

For dinner go to Newton food centre (Newton MRT stop) and order small plates with prawns and fish and a big Tiger beer. Really, don’t stop till you get enough. The centre is a small paradise, good affordable food in a vibrant atmosphere outdoors.

Sunday, 9 am

Take a quick coffee/cappuccino at “the 1925 microbrewery & restaurant” on Jin Besar Street. Their brunches are also outstanding. 

10 am

Explore Sentosa Island and spend half a day at the Palowan beach. It’s very easy to reach this artificial place by MRT and with the Sentosa Express. Bring your own food and music to chill and relax on the beach. This beach is normally empty and you can really scape from the city. Don’t forget to buy a six pack beer at 7 Eleven and your sun lotion.

Having a late lunch at Thai Express restaurant will boost your day. This cheap and easy to find chain of restaurants is the perfect place to get a meal quickly. The food is absolutely spicy and flavoured, and don’t forget to order a beer to enhance the taste of your dish.

5pm

Your last night will consist of spending your time in the trendy Singapore’s Financial heavy-district. Get off at MRT Downtown stop and walk about 500 meters and reward yourself with an astonishing view from the bar Level 33 (33th floor) - their beer is good but perhaps not cheap. Once the sun has set, admire the modern architecture and lights of the city. Here you will find all types of expats involved in the finance sector.

8pm

Later on when you are a little bit tipsy have a fancy dinner at the Marina Bay Sand - “C’est la vie” restaurant bar lounge. It’s worth to at least have a drink here. Men, don’t forget to bring long trousers otherwise they will not allow you to get in. This futuristic building and symbol of Singapore is hosts the bar/restaurant at the 57th Floor and you can access it from the lift located at Tower #3. The building host a 5 star hotel and a succesful casino that apparently has more business and cash flow than all casinos in Las Vegas! Foreigners can access for free to gamble whereas locals need to pay a 100 USD fee. The Japanese fusion restaurant is expensive but a perfect place for a romantic dinner that you will never forget. You don’t need to be a millionaire to enjoy the pleasures of life.

Soundtrack for the trip: Jamie xx - In color (Album) - ENJOY!

If you like FOOD, Singapore might be the best place on earth. 

CACTUS

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Six seasons

The last time I wrote was two seasons back. In the meantime I was submerged in absurd office adventures and concrete jungle travels. Time spent in Dhaka feels like four weeks, and a year at the same time.

These days I think more often about “home” (the place where my family is), than I have ever done over the last years. Grey, rainy mornings make me long for European autumn days, which I used to hate when in secondary school. Cycling 20 minutes through rain and strong wind damned my days, gosh do I miss those conditions now. Over dinner we even speak about the seperate cycle lanes as if the concept is so new, fascinating and desirable like an iWatch!

I have to admit though, the world looks a lot more friendly and nice with sunshine, it automatically makes you smile. But imagine a sticky European heatwave to last for months, it slows you down and wearing sleeveless shirts, forget about shorts, is out of the question for women. Cooling rains are the best and the grey skies make me want to watch Disney films all day.

There really is a lot of sun in Bangladesh. The country has six seasons: grismo (summer, hot hot hot, also called ‘fruit ripening season’), barsha (monsoon, hot and rainy), sharat (“autumn”, hot), hemanto (“cool”, still pleasantly warm with the most intelligent and unbeatable mosquitos), sheet (“winter”, three weeks with cold nights and media writing about it as if it were a Dutch heatwave), and bashonto (spring, hot).

We are on the edge of barsha, mentally preparing for a Venice lifestyle (the drainage systems don’t really work well - anywhere). But, the fruit ripening season did excite us very much. Never have I eaten such delicious, juicy lychees, uncountable pineapples and kilos of mangos! A couple of hundred different types of mango grow in Bangladesh and the sun makes them so sweet. To me, they all look more or less the same, but Bangladeshis can differentiate between the green paisley shapes speaking passionately about the different types of flesh. They are so proud of their mangos, none are better than Bangladeshi aam; it is even sung in the national anthem.

Three weeks ago we made a trip to Bogra (northwest of Bangladesh, Rasjahi district - do not ask how long it took) to visit an architectural site where we seemed to be the main attraction instead of the ruins. We also visited mango orchards and got 30kg of chemical-free mangos! After peeling more than 80 mangos the weekend after, we feasted and enjoyed mango-shrimp-tacos, mango-coconut-rice-salad, mango-chickpea-curry-salad, mango sorbet, mango jam, mango chutney and mango upside down cake. Nomnomnom!

TULIP

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::::: TUNE OF THE MONTH ::::

Artist: Lera Lynn

Music: The Only Thing Worth Fighting For

Album: The cover records

Licence: Standard YouTube Licence

True Detective Season 2 Soundtrack - Music from the HBO Series

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Witnessing life in Old Dhaka

On its narrow and crowded streets there are always a lot of things and multiple interactions happening at the same time. Old Dhaka for me is a living theater where millions of people interact with each other every day. 

This exotic place is home to hundreds of rickshaws, it is a place where people still have the time to enjoy a cup of tea “Cā”, interact with each other and fight and shout for space. You will find fascinating market men selling all types of things, from spices to iron or wood. 

The food of Old Dhaka is a fine cuisine. Tasting chicken biryani is a must. The flavors, smells and variety combined with their special rice is worth the travel. Who does not like good food at an affordable price? Here the street food is a vital part of life and shop and vendors dominate the sidewalks.  

For years the Buriganga river has probably been the most polluted river in the world. The solid waste caused from the thousands of informal garments and tanneries located around this area are having a tremendous impact on the environment. As part of the rhythm of Old Dhaka, these issues do not prevent children to swim, people to fish and boats to navigate it.

Everywhere you go, you will find it easy to walk and get lost. As a photographer, one will discover that everything in Old Dhaka is attractive and inspiring. Its brilliant architecture formed by old buildings with a lot of meaning and its residents with fascinating stories define the place. However, attempting to capture the essence of a place, such as Old Dhaka, is a daunting challenge.

Old Dhaka is part of Bangladesh’s heritage and it is up to its own people to preserve this place from disappearing and become a sad urban jungle like most parts of Dhaka and surroundings. I hope in the months to come to continue capturing this chaos that turn into artistic expressions through photography.

Cactus

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::::: TUNE OF THE MONTH ::::

Artist: Cat Power (CD)

Music: Troubled waters

Album: The cover records

Images: Robert Campeau

Licence: Standard YouTube Licence

BBC 2 Series: The Honourable Woman

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Looking For Clues

Ishwardi (Bengali: “God’s place”) is a Western village of the Pabna District in Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh and it has a population of approximately 350′000 habitants. Ishwardi is reacheable by car, but drivers need to pass the large Bagabandhu bridge, “friend of Bengal” named after the first president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This bridge - with a relative high fee for Bangladeshi standards (500 TK) - allows cars to cross the Jamuna river, one of the main rivers of Bangladesh and main distributary channel of the Indian Brahmaputra River.  

For the past months I have been working on a project/idea and in order to finalise a part of it I decided to explore the northwest area of Bangladesh for the first time. Because of the many questions I had that could not get out of my head I was looking for answers regarding the past of a young girl born and raised in Ishwardi. During the trip, I was accompanied by the father, Minti Sheik, and younger sister, Boishaki, of the girl that I was slowly getting to know.   

On the road, there are no rules, the bigger cars always have the priority and all traffic laws are ignored. With the adrenaline in our veins, it took us about five hours to reach our final destination (203 km). The fastest and safest way to travel in Bangladesh is definitely with the crowded trains.

In less than 24 hours I found myself immersed in the beauty of this region, starting from the majesty of the Padma River and ending with its rural wonderland. The Padma river originates in the Himalayas and is the main distributor of the Indian river, Ganges. This major river flows 120 km into the Southern part of Bangladesh and confluences in the Bay of Bengal. Its crystal clear watercourse invites people to swim and have picnics on its flat and green river banks. Also, it is a place where locals burst with pride for its beauty.

Hosted by the father’s family with great hospitality and with excellent traditional food, I tried to understand what type of life the unknown young girl had; where she grew up; what her relationship was with her family and friends; and why she decided to leave at young age, leaving everything behind by going to the chaotic and crowded city of Savar in Dhaka District. 

Her name was Laboni (Bengali: “Grace”).

CACTUS

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On the road in India

Bangladesh is intense. India is intenser. Bangladesh is dirty. India is dirtier. Bangladesh is harsh. India is harsher

What to tell about India? It is in your face!

For the delicious food and the beautiful fabrics it is certainly worth returning. For anything else I cannot understand one would take (precious) days off, spend a fair amount of money on a ticket and become even more stressed out by the staring men, pooing people and cows on the sidewalks.

It must be said though that our experience is based on vists of only three places in India (New Delhi, Jaipur and Agora), a country as big as entire Europe, so it may well be different elsewhere.

But we will go back. We will go back for the strong and inspiring women we have met. Five years ago the project ‘Women on Wheels’ started in New Delhi: women from the slums are trained for 6 months to become professional taxi drivers. Not only do they learn how to drive a car, they also learn English, personal hygiene and most importantly self defense techniques. After their training they work as a private chauffeur for one year, before being able to obtain a commerical taxi license. Meeting these women was so energizing.

Learning a skill and earning a formal income changes the women, it gives them so much self-esteem that they start to look differently and the empowerment is contagious for their communities.

In Jaipur we visited some of these young women at home. On their doors we found the women’s name tags, which is highly unusual because only names of men matter (as if women do not exist).

We had the pleasure of being invited for dinner at Meenu’s house. A 19-year old girl who was almost married to off to a much older man, because one of her uncles did not like the idea of her being a professional driver. After much negotiation she started working as a chauffeur and is now the main income provider of her family. Her three sisters and brother continue to go to school and they even built a third floor on their house thanks to her earnings. The best part of the evening was the dancing with the entire family. We showed our Bollywood dancing skills as if we have never danced anything else!

These professional drivers thank their life changing opportunities to two women: Meenu and Anita. They have dedicated their lives to improve other Indian women’s lives by mentoring them and running the programmes. Such free minds and strong beliefs are the only forces to increase equality between women and men. Anita and Meenu have become very dear to us and we already look forward to seeing our friends again.

TULIP

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Tune of the Month

Coke Studio (Pakistan) - Alif Allah, Jugni, Arif Lohar & Meesha

Produced by Rohail Hyatt

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Witnessing Bangladesh' Renaissance

Is Bangladesh one of the best photography scenes in the world? My answer is probably 'yes'. When I parachuted myself a couple of months ago here in Dhaka I though it was going to be easy to fully freelance as a photographer and find original stories. Now I laugh just thinking that I am going to have a little chance to do as well as local photographers to tell visual stories. They produce magnificent documentary and photojournalistic work. This surprise made me hit the ground hard. I graduated from a well known UK photo university, but I have more to learn from the local photographers than I have to offer. 

Sometimes I feel like a painter from the renaissance, who had the opportunity to join the Florentine art scene and paint with Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello and Caravaggio. Bangladesh' fine photographers attend or are alumni of the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute based in Dhaka. This institute was founded by Dr. Shahidul Alam, a veteran photojournalist and former chemistry professor in London. He was the first foreigner from a developing country to be part of the prestigious jury of the World Press Photo. Dr. Alam is the Lorenzo de Medici "Il Magnifico", because he is the force that gave the opportunity to Bangladeshi photographers to learn and be confident telling their stories to global audiences.  

Like the Renaissance quickly inspired other parts of Europe, Bangladeshi photographers have crossed their country's border. Thanks to Dr. Alam Chobi Mela was born in 2000. This biennial of photography became the largest festival of its kind in Asia and is considered the most demographically inclusive photo festival in the world featuring international established photographers. 

My favorite dedicated and passionate Bangladeshi photographers are:

Arfun Ahmed - from the "Lost & found" series 

Munem Wasif - from the "In god we trust" series (VU Agency, Paris)

Rasel Chowdhury - from the "Desperate Urbanisation" series

Sarker Protick -  from the "What remains" series

Shehab Uddin - from the "Chain of poverty" series

I really admire their work and sometimes I ask myself the question, why are there so many fantastic Bangladeshi photographers? I do not have the answer to this question yet and I look forward to finding the reason in the upcoming years. However, looking at the photo essays above, I believe I know a few already.  

CACTUS

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The Stream of Bangladesh

The Himalayas are the top of world creating the flow of most water in the South Asian sub-continent. The Himalaya water is crystal clear. India is known for its river the Ganges, which is so polluted that samples at specific spots show there is no life left (and still people drink, wash and bathe in it because of its holiness in Hinduism…). When you think it cannot get any worse you have yet to see the Buriganga in the old centre of Dhaka!

Bangladesh is a delta, the delta of the Himalayas. Its streams, flows and tides have significantly changed over the decades with the Bangladeshi people quite successfully adapting to the situation. Once, Dhaka used to be more wealthy than Calcutta, the heart of the former British Empire. Dhaka benefitted from the sea farers’ trade and still today the Buriganga is important for the national economy.

But at the same time this water is so polluted that the smell and damp of it in summer time damages the eye sight of ferry men. It is said that when foreigners touch the water, they will have long lasting skin infections. The water is black. Black as can be. And still it contains fish, which Dhaka’s inhabitants proudly eat.

Every single day leather tanneries, washeries (laundry services), fabric dyers and garment factories, farmaceutical and printing companies dump an estimated 60.000 m3 of toxic waste (solid waste) in this river only. Regulation is largely absent and a moral consciousness to better treat the environment is non-existent.

Despite the colour and smell the river defines the charm of Old Dhaka.

Last week we saw the concert of a great international band with Cuban and Bangladeshi influences: Lokkhi Terra. This music and video clip represent our experience in Dhaka well:

Speaking of the Ganges, our next story will be about India of which Bangladesh was part until 1954. The relationship between these two countries is not one of friends. Luckily ignorance can show the beauty of tolerance.

CATUS & TULIP

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Take a Ride On The Wild Side

The main means of transportation in Bangladesh for short distances is the rickshaw. Dhaka, a city with more than 15 million people, counts over half a million rickshaws (it is even included in the Guinness Book of World Records). These usually beautifully coloured and decorated three-wheeled bicycles mark the Bengali street view more than anything else.

Rickshaws can be used to transport all you can imagine. A maximum of four adult passengers fit: one person sits ample; two persons fit cosily; three people can be folded tightly; and four people is an acrobatic construction. Children can be added whenever needed and elderly people are lifted upon the seat and tied by arms. Naturally, goods (both private and commercial use) and animals are carried around too. Raw butcher meat, garment orders, air conditioners, chicken, ducks and goats are ordinary cargo. Recently, I found myself on a rickshaw with my own bike on my lap crosswise...

A while ago my mother asked whether being on a rickshaw is 'fun'. Although it may look authentic, I would more compare it to the joy of being on a bike in Amsterdam.

You risk your own life every single time you're on one (but that goes for any means of transportation in Bangladesh anyway), defying reared fellow citizens and aggressive honking.

The one think I can't stop thinking about when I see others on a rickshaw is that it looks so colonial! The "comfort" of a rickshaw makes you sit up straight, pointing out above all pedestrians. The local men depict this idea best: they put their belly forward, tip their toes over the edge of the footboard and speak loudly on the phone with one arm resting on their belly, supporting the telephone-arm in a 90-degree angle.

Taking a rickshaw is taking a ride on the wild side, even though the speed is limited. The rickshaw pullers (not drivers) just go straight. Straight as in always moving forwards, never stopping unless there absolutely is no other choice. They don't slow down on crossroads - nor do cars or motorcycles for that matter - and turns are taken at the very last moment. The bumps and holes in the road add special effects to the 3D roller coaster experience.

Also, make sure you know the location of your destination. Having an experienced puller is no guarantee you will arrive to your appointment.

TULIP