All posts tagged: locals

Steve Cohen

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Steve Cohen

“I was in Bajawa, Indonesia, looking to explore the indigenous interior of Flores. I met a local who knew of a harvest festival at a remote village. We picked up a German tourist en route, then spent three hours trekking by motorbike past the jungle covered valleys, looming volcanoes, and wild rivers of Flores… We arrived to find the young men in a field surrounded by an enthralled crowd, but we immediately became the main attraction. I learned through my guide that we were the first westerners to visit the town. The men were boxing with a sacred object made from a sharply notched rope block dipped in sacrificed pigs blood, one blow from which easily broke skin… While I opted not to partake in this passage of manhood, enough rounds of palm “wine” and prodding by the locals was beginning to work up my courage. Fortunately, the festival wound down and I was invited by the chief to feast with the men on the rare delicacy of pork stew…” – Steve Cohen   053/100 …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Georges Ekwensi

“For someone who is interested in how governments, corporations and everyday people are responding to rapid urbanization, there is no better place to visit than Lagos, Nigeria. Everything and everyone has a story to tell, from the infrastructure, to the advertisements, to the millions of people who navigate this vast metropolitan area every day. The energy of the people, the colors of their dress against beautiful dark skin tones, and the rhythms created from car honking and conversation create a place that isn’t quite like any other… An encounter that sticks in my mind is one that tells the true reality of the Lagosian hustle. It is not uncommon to be driving or to be being driven and have people try to sell you anything from candy to home furnishings right out on the street. I can imagine that on a particularly traffic heavy day, one may tire and pick up a sack of water or some fruits or nuts to eat but my father never opened the window for more than the morning newspaper …