Your environmental portraits show people in squalor, and yet there is often a sense of warmth and joy on the faces of some of your subjects. Could you expand on this seeming dichotomy that makes your images, from a thematic point of view, intriguing and almost incongruous?

In my travels to the slums of develoing countries, I have seen a great deal of happiness and love in the family unit. Even though life is harsh and a struggle, it does not necessarily mean that the people are unhappy or devastated. The harsh and difficult conditions is what a photojournalist may choose to present because that depiction sells newspapers and so the public assumes that aspect is the only one; in reality, there is lots of laughter and enjoyment in the slums. Human beings are very resilient. People who may not have a lot, can truly value and appreciate what little they do have. Sometimes those who are living the simplest lives are the happiest and find the most joy in simple things. It is relationships among people, the sense of community, family and identity, that bring the most joy to people, and not that next iPod or iPad.

You have been quoted as saying, “I feel an urgency to document people in areas of the world threatened by urbanization and globalization – places where traditional ways of life, ancient knowledge and customs, languages and identities are disappearing at an alarming rate. The changes brought by industrialization and urbanization affect not only animal and plant species – societies that have been around for thousands of years are also at risk.”

This statement asserts the general truth that a people and culture should be free to preserve their traditions and land; yet at the same time, the poverty and physical conditions in which they are shown cry out for a better life. Is one of your goals to articulate a contradiction or struggle between suffering and the human spirit conquering a terrible environment?

I think modernization and urbanization of our world is inevitable. It is human nature for people to gravitate toward better and easier lives for themselves and their family. I guess my feeling is that we should help those who are not progressing as quickly as others and assist those who don’t have even the basic necessities (and I don’t mean the next iPod), adequate food, water, sanitation, and shelter. We should help equip them with skills and education for their children so they can continue to grow and keep up with the rapidly evolving world instead of being in a vicious circle of poverty. People should be given a hand-up and not just a handout. We are no longer isolated societies living within the boundaries of our countries. The poverty and health conditions in other nations are quick to affect us, too. Look at the protest in the Middle East and the nuclear crisis in Japan; these are no longer national crises, but international issues that will affect all who live in the world.

…my feeling is that we should help those who are not progressing as quickly as others and assist those who don’t have even the basic necessities… People should be given a hand-up and not just a handout. We are no longer isolated societies living within the boundaries of our countries.

On the other hand, our cultural identity is just as important: knowing who we are and where we came from. Due to modernization, many young people are lured away from their traditional way of life and cultural identity by the promises of a better and more glamorous life in the city. Instead of putting value on who they actually are, they value themselves by what they have and what they own. Instead of spending time building relationships with their friends and family, many of them live a very disconnected life and seem in pursuit of something that is unattainable. I hope, through my photos of disappearing cultures, that part of the past is preserved and that they bring an awareness of how important some of theses traditions and cultures are as we move toward future. There should be a balance, and government policies should reflect that balance, be sensitive to age-old traditions as they deal with indigenous cultures. Maybe there are lessons to be learned from cultures who have been living harmoniously with nature and the natural environment for centuries.

Your award-winning image, Djenne Mosque, Djenne, Mali from Mali, is truly great: surreal and romantic in the best sense of awe and otherworldliness. The viewer is unaware of the poverty, the heat, the dirt and dust, the religious mind fostered in the mosque; yet the viewer can be caught up in the dream of such a faraway place, which seems a true National Geographic approach to world news coverage. What is the story behind this image?

Djenne Mosque
(Djenne, Mali)
BY Larry Louie

That is the romance of photography: it is a medium that can show beauty or ugliness of the world we live in. I like to show a contrast of both. If there was no ugliness, I don’t think we could really appreciate or realize what beauty there is. Mali may have a lot of poverty, but it is also a country rich with culture and history. The heat, dirt and dust around the mosque are nothing in comparison to the industrial pollutions of some of the dirtiest countries in the world. As for religion, I think all religions teach people to be good and to care for one another. Different religious beliefs are just different paths for us to reach our spirituality. It is men who make radical interpretations of religious scriptures and enforce practices that are harsh and ugly.

There is not much story behind the image. I had seen images of the mosque in the past and always wanted to see it for myself. Historically, Djenne was once a great center of learning and trade. I arrived in Djenne in the late afternoon, scouted the surrounding location for a great vantage point and noticed a nearby building with a rooftop. After obtaining access permission, I got up early the next morning and waited for the sunrise. Luckily, as the sun broke through, a local person in traditional garment walked by, providing a scale for the size of the magnificent building. What this image taught me is that getting a photograph like this requires both preparation and a bit of luck.