On the tropical island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, children from a local village were photographed enjoying a black and white photographic exhibition, The photographs, by Ben Bohane, 'Black Islands Custom and Conflict'.were on display in the Cultural Center, Port Vila. Vanuatu is the South Pacific's travel adventure, 'Must See' destination.
The world renowned Ben Bohane, an Australian photo-journalist, shot the photos which are images of custom and conflict throughout the region of South East Asia and the South Pacific. Ben has been adding to his collection since 1989.
Ben has witnessed every major conflict in the area of East Timor, the South Pacific, Moluccu, West Papua, PNG, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia. He saw these as a Blue Moon Opportunity, (an opportunity that changes lives).
Ben has been fortunate to be able to live with a wide range of custom, tribal and rebel groups, for extented amounts of time. He was also able to travel with the Guadalcanal guerrillas. He was also had the opportunity to photograph the Malaita Eagle Force, the opposing side. Bohane was able torecord the only interview with Harold Keke, the Guadalcanal warlord, before Keke gave himself up to Australia authorities.
Ben's independent record of the conflicts in the South Pacific, has given him the right be the proud owner of the world's biggest archive, of contemporary photographs. His highly emotive but sensitive photographs have been exhibited world wide. Many collectors are proud to also be private owners of Ben's photographs.
Ben is now a resident of Port Vila, in Vanuatu, where he continues to specialize in Australasia and Pacific region. His work has been exhibited in Australia, Washington, Holland and Cambodia, as well as appearing in a wide range of magazines such as Newsweek, The Guardian, (UK), Geo in France, Aera (Japan), Pacific magazine (Hawaii), alongside a large number of Australian publications. His documentaries have been aired on SBS Australia, the ABC, BBC and ARD, Germany and NHK, Japan. He has also regularly produced documentaries for the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent program on Pacific issues.
In Vanuatu there is no free education; about twenty-five percent of the next generation will never have any form of schooling. It is exciting that the village children have the opportunity to gain a different aspect of the world through Ben's work.
For further information on Ben or the photographic exhibition contact the cultural centre pima@vanuatu.com.vu, or look up their website http://culturepacific.org
About the author:
Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys and her husband are founding directors of YouMe Support Foundation, (http://youmesupport.org). A child trust fund providing grants for high school education for children who will never see the inside of a high school classroom without outside assistance. You can check it out at Win A Resort, (http://winareosrt.com.)
