Ben Wilhelmi

People, Tanzania

Circumcised boy, from one Maasai subclan.

 

 

 

 

 

Sonjo woman. That type of jewel is a good sign.

South Sudan, aerial pictures

 

How do you find your way in such a maze that spreads on many square miles?

 

 

 

 

 

A fancy house on the Nile:

Lake Natron, aerials

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children in B/W, South Sudan

 

 

 

 

 

Paris, street pictures

 

At the Trocadéro near the Eiffel tower. These giants water cannons get in action once in a while. That day, the temperature was around 32C. People jumped in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

People, South Sudan

 

 

 

Kids waiting for aircraft and offering their services.

 

Many South Sudanese women seem to enjoy clothes and fashion.

 

B/W aerial photography, Natron and Lengai

 

Rift Valley, Tanzania, here is an aerial view of salt lake Natron and active volcano Lengai.

 

 

 

Aerial photography in South Sudan

 

A flooded hamlet in September.

 

 

The White Nile near Bor.

 

The Nile near Juba.

 

A flooded village, Agok, 2 months ago.

 

One passenger was a saint?

 

The Nile.

 

A swamp somewhere near Pibor. Many swampy areas in South Sudan.

 

A flooded refugee camp, Rubkona.

 

A woman soaping herself on the road.

Tanzania, Maasai warriors

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Sudan, stories

 

Never underestimate a soldier's anger management issues...a young fuel attendant had asked a soldier to put out his cigarette while the fuel truck was offloading fuel. Maybe the attendant had an attitude but still…the soldier just pulled off his weapon and killed that 18 year old boy then fled away!

Subsequently the fuel station owner wanted to close down his facility and relocate. Hearing this the villagers chased and found the killer, beheaded him and presented the trophy head to the owner in order to reassure him. After all this was the only fuel station in the county...

Torit, South Sudan.

 

I overflew one airstrip, 6 times to chase away some bloody cows before one man finally showed up and did his job. The country is made of grass at 99% but no, an airstrip grass is notoriously tastier than normal grass. Maybe kerosene residues give a special flavor?? Of course he had the guts to ask me for some money! “For the good job”. The good job would have been to prevent the cows to graze on the airstrip in the first place, my friend! Deaf ears…I vented my concern in no disguised words to the crowd. To no avail. Blank stares.

Later my colleague laughed and told me “Whatever you want to do, don’t touch the cows, they’d kill you!” That is the people, not the cows of course. For some reasons after 2 months and a half in this lovely country, I believe him.

Pibor.

 

PS: killing for cows, that reminds me of Maasai people…

Paris, street photography

 

 

 

Hawkers at the “ Tuileries”

 

Cops questioning an illegal street vendor.

 

and chasing others.

It looks more like a game to me. These cops didn’t catch anyone and seemed to take the chase easy like laughing at a good joke.

 

People, South Sudan

The worst humanitarian crisis in the world, at the beginning of the year at least. Well not everybody seems to be starving…

 

Nearly twins.

 

 

 

 

Tanzanian sceneries, photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Random pictures, South Sudan

 

Was I the only one admiring?

 

 

 

Extreme missionary lady, the red cross was not a walking stick.

 

Interesting haircut.

 

 

Spelling skill is not part of this proffesor’s miracles…

Zanzibar, street photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aerial photography, South Sudan

 

The famous long horned Sudanese cows. I haven’t seen from close yet.

 

 

 

 

Dar es Salaam, the rains

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Sudan, people

 

Fashion style varies greatly amongst South Sudanese women (and men)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paris, pictures in the streets

 

A pretty girl replayed the famous Marilyn’s scene for a brief moment, too brief moment…

 

 

 

Religious pilgrimage in Paris…so many girls were hardly dressed.

 

 

 

 

random pictures, South Sudan

 

I had a general and his posse for passengers. Security at the airfield was beefed up. Look at the ammo charger, the size of a shoe box!

 

Though the country is mostly christian, many women show off beautiful henna patterns on legs and arms.

 

Various cargo, from quad to 1 ton of biscuits to 600kg of explosives and a drum of fuel (no pictures and I was not too pleased to carry that)

 

 

The airplane I fly these days, a Cessna Grand Caravan 208.

 

We had removed most of the seats for cargo transport to a hot zone where combat is still rampant. Some people wanted to fly to Juba and happily just sat on the floor. I was told 4 passengers. And I wound up with 15 because children don’t count in Sudanese business.

Lake Natron, Tanzania, aerials

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aerial photography, South Sudan

 

A flooded village. The rains have been stronger and dragging longer than usual. That didn’t help the current humanitarian crisis.

 

 

In some areas, those wrecks litter the roads, like one every few km!. This Cruiser seems to have been blown up. Whatever was salvageable has been removed.

 

Bad news for those travellers. A break down in the middle of nowhere…

 

Stormy weather, minimal art.

 

 

Meet the White Nile.

People in the bush in B/W, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

Shot on film with Nikon FM2.

Aerial photography, South Sudan

 

A few views of the White Nile…

 

 

 

 

 

 

A typical countryside road. So many potholes, so many zigzags…your mileage must be double what the map says.

 

Lake Natron, B/W aerials

 

Lake Natron is a salt lake that always offers incredible patterns (and colors) all years long. I have never been disappointed overflying it.

 

 

 

people, South Sudan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shot discreetly with a smartphone.

USA, landscapes

 

 

 

 

 

Sepia portraits, Tanzanian bush