Prologue. The date is April 27, 2007. Sounds of jubilation rise into the air as eight Basua Pygmy youth run off to explore their world through the lens of a camera. Deep in the Ituri Rain Forest in Uganda, a few miles from the border to the Republic of Congo, photographers Craig Richards and Eberhard Riedel just finished instructing these youngsters in the basic operations of digital point-and-shoot cameras, helped by their translator and local guide. The children belong to a group of Basua Pygmy who had fled the war in the Congo, lost two thirds of their people in the process, and settled in their new camp in Uganda just two months ago. When the Basua children return from their photographic explorations, we are moved by the creativity apparent in their photographs.
Workshops. Eberhard Riedel is a photographer and clinical social worker with extensive experience of working with youth living in difficult environments in both rural and urban areas of Africa. Workshops for small groups of children, with equal numbers of boys and girls, begin with basic instructions in photography and use of the camera. The young people then head off into their world to photograph whatever they choose. At the end of the day, the children return, select the images they like best, which then are printed, shared and discussed. This group process and immediate feedback are repeated the following day, often with amazing photographic results and personal growth. Kids and creativity go together no matter where they live in the world.
Mission. Cameras without Borders seeks to foster an attitude of relatedness and curiosity in a world that is plagued by increasingly difficult social problems associated with extreme fundamentalism and tribalism. At the heart of photography lies the power to transform and plant seeds for new beginnings. Curiosity is infectious. When we freely dream and imagine we develop capacities that allow us to forge a better world for our communities and ourselves. We certainly are less prone to indoctrination and abuse.
Vision. Eberhard Riedel was born in Germany when World War II had just begun and struggled with the human consequences of racism and genocide throughout his life. He envisions photography as communication to heal conflict and promote mutuality and human wellbeing in its many forms. As the African writer Wole Soyinka observed, art nourishes the seeds of reconciliation and social and personal healing.