Someone once told me

After somewhat of a cynical and discouraging week (I really do find the lack of a discernible US policy towards Africa most upsetting), I am determined to end on an uplifting note. Ever the optimist, I suppose! I happened to stumble upon the Someone Once Told Me project completely by chance, and find it to be most charming. Photographer Mario Cacciottolo has taken over 700+ photographs of people holding hand-made signs quoting something someone once told them. The image on the left is among my favorites.

What would your sign say? A parting thought for the weekend....

(Semi-) lighthearted on a Friday

With the sobering (though altogether unsurprising) news in this morning that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameni, is backing Iran's election results (as is Chavez, apparently) while protests swell, I feel compelled to counteract this bad news with something a bit more cheery. It is Friday, after all!

Before I do that, though, I'd like to bring a few more interesting Iran-related links to your attention:

• Twitter's watchdog site, Twitspam, has compiled a list of possibly fake (i.e. connected to the Iranian security apparatus) Iran election Tweeters
• Interesting Chinese commentary on the situation in Iran, from Shanghaiist
• Ethan Zuckerman on Iran, citizen media, and media attention (the good, the bad, and the ugly)

Right, well enough of that for now. Let's chat photography, travel and music (three of my most favorite things!), shall we? Canadian blogger and world traveler Brendan (aka Cashewman) has compiled a wonderful list of tips for photography in developing countries. At the end of the day it truly comes down to blending in with one's surroundings, though Brendan articulates this infinitely better than I have here.

In keeping with the theme of lists, White African has a running list of practical - and at times amusing - travel tips for Africa. If I have the time, I will begin a similar list for China. Until then, do please leave your tips in the comments section of this post!

And finally, I'm quite excited to see Senegalese-born singer and song writer Youssou N'Dour's new documentary film, "I Bring What I Love," this weekend. In the film N'Dour speaks about his life, his faith, his music, and his vision for human rights and tolerance:

Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.

Update: I happened upon a great piece by the FT's Anna Fifield on the mood among the under-30s in Iran. Definitely worth the read!

A touch of joy on this Wednesday afternoon

With all the doom and gloom seemingly emanating from my posts this morning, I felt it necessary to bring some good cheer to this blog of mine (and to you, the readers!). While I can't buy you ice cream or transport you to far-away beaches (life's simple pleasures), I can share with you my love of photography which, in my humble opinion, is quite close to the next best thing.

I've long admired the photography of writer and photojournalist Glenna Gordon who blogs at Scarlett Lion. Among my most favorite recent photographs is this one taken in Monrovia:

Despite the decrepit architecture, the photograph conveys a wonderful sense of playfulness and childhood innocence, doesn't it? A wonderful contrast to the cynicism implicit in African politics. A wonderfully hopeful image. Cheers for this, Glenna.

An artistic digression, if you will

Economic development aside, one of my many passions is photography. While partial to black and white images, I can't help but share this with you. Glenna Gordon is a photojournalist who keeps a blog out of Uganda called Scarlett Lion. She also keeps a professional website on which she has the most amazing collection African images I've seen in some time. Two of my recent favorites: