On the First Noble Truth

A merchant. Pul-i-Khumri, Afghanistan, 2003.

Chamba, 6 years, Thiksey Gompa. Ladakh, India, 1990. The destruction of Buddhist monasteries in Tibet and the persecution of priests and nuns not only undermine the roots of the Tibetan culture and religion, but they expose to risk the survival of the entire Tibetan civilization. So Buddhist monasteries abroad have become even more important in order to protect one of the last civilizations still centered on the spiritual rather than material development. Thiksey Gompa (monastery) gives hospitality to a community of 108 monks, admitted from the age of 4 years.

The school, Thiksey Gompa. Ladakh, India, 1990.

The school, Thiksey Gompa. Ladakh, India, 1990.

The cook, Thiksey Gompa. Ladakh, India, 1990.

A white widow in the Bhajanashram. Vrindavan, India, 2004. Tens of millions of Indian women, out of sincere devotion or of necessity, once widowed take refuge in the Hindu temples. Every day in the Bhajanashram in Vrindavan about 2.000 widows and some outcasts sing the bhajans, the devotional chants to Lord Krishna, for two turns of 4 hours each. They earn in this way 5 rupees – that is to say less than 10 cents of Euro – and a glass of milk a day.

White widows in the Bhajanashram. Vrindavan, India, 2004.

Lakshmi, 9 years, in the Bhajanashram. Vrindavan, India, 2004. Lakshmi bears the name of the goddess of wealth. Born blind, she is orphan of both her parents. She comes to sing every day in the Bhajanashram. Dressed in white, the color of renunciation and of mourning, shaved, she is a vegetarian and lives without shoes because “it is good to walk barefoot on Krishna’s land”. She is one of Lord Krishna’s brides too.

The cooks of the orphanage Tahia Maskan. Kabul, Afghanistan, 2003. In the big orphanage of Tahia Maskan, 1100 children, all boys, are living painfully.

Gulpakay the bakeress, a beneficiary of Pangea Foundation. Kabul, Afghanistan, 2003 Gulpakay is a widow, and she supports her two daughters by carrying on a trade for men. Actually, all Afghan women working outside are revolutionaries.

Tailoring laboratory for street children of the Afghan organization Aschiana. Kabul, Afghanistan, 2003.

Tailoring laboratory for street children of the Afghan organization Aschiana. Kabul, Afghanistan, 2003.

Uzbek shepherds with their herd. Samangan, Afghanistan, 2003.

In a refugee camp. Kabul, Afghanistan, 2003. After the end of 2001, three and a half million Afghans have repatriated from the refugee camps of Pakistan and Iran. The humanitarian organizations’ aids were not enough, and most of the refugees found themselves once again in the camps.

Pashtoun wedding dance. Pul-I-Cherky, Afghanistan, 2003. The separation of sexes is total. At wedding parties, men play music and dance alone.

Pashtoun wedding dance. Pul-I-Cherky, Afghanistan, 2003. The separation of sexes is total. At wedding parties, men play music and dance alone.

ICRC's Wazir Akbar Khan Orthopaedic Centre. Kabul, Afghanistan, 2003. Founded in 1988 to provide legs and arms to the war wounded, in 1994 the International Committee of the Red Cross's Orthopaedic Centre of Kabul opened its doors to everybody bearing motor handicaps. The Centre is completely managed by the disabled.

ICRC's Wazir Akbar Khan Orthopaedic Centre. Kabul, Afghanistan, 2003.

ICRC's Wazir Akbar Khan Orthopaedic Centre. Kabul, Afghanistan, 2003.

ICRC's Wazir Akbar Khan Orthopaedic Centre. Kabul, Afghanistan, 2003.

Anwar Khan, 13 years, at ICRC's Wazir Akbar Khan Orthopaedic Centre. He lost two hands and a leg for the explosion of an anti-personnel cluster bomb. He also lost a nephew, who came to rescue him. Cluster bombs are designed to destroy also rescuers. Kabul, Afghanistan, 2003.

Harvest festival at Shey. Ladakh, India, 2004. In 1959, after 8 years of Chinese occupation and the tragic revolt of Leh, the Dalai Lama, forced to flee from his country, took refuge in India. The local festival of Shey occurs in summer: the ceremonies of music and ritual dances in the presence of the oracle are needed in order to get into gods’ good graces for a good harvest.

The Ladakh festival. Leh, India, 2004. The Ladakh festival takes place in Leh every year in September. Proudly wearing their traditional clothes, on this occasion all the different Tibetan groups of the district take part in dances and concerts, archery competitions and polo matches.

Harvest festival at Shey. Ladakh, India, 2004.

Blacksmiths. Pul-i-Khumri, Afghanistan, 2003. In Afghanistan, as registered by UNICEF in 2004, 45% of boys and 60% of girls do not go to school.

A Blacksmith. Pul-i-Khumri, Afghanistan, 2003.

A mechanic. Pul-i-Khumri, Afghanistan, 2003.

A mechanic. Pul-i-Khumri, Afghanistan, 2003.

A mechanic. Pul-i-Khumri, Afghanistan, 2003.

A shopkeeper and his shop-boy. Pul-i-Khumri, Afghanistan, 2003.

ON THE FIRST NOBLE TRUTH

Portraits of War, Exile and Renunciation

The exhibition was first shown in 2005 in Rome, Palazzo Valentini, as part of FotoGrafia, the International Festival of Rome.

The "first noble truth" – at the basis of Buddhism – is the truth of universal suffering: all beings suffer. The right to portrait suffering and how to portrait suffering (if there is a right) are at the core of the reporter’s ethic. Through this series of portraits I show my personal position. I decided to work with suffering. And I chose the most compassionate, humanitarian way.

Laura Salvinelli

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