Making Images is one thing … but putting words together is a little more problematic.
So, I’m more than a little gratified that the Sydney Morning Herald has today published my 1000 word story “Chewing Over a Betel Ban” (and three pics) on page 8 of their News Review section. They are also running the story online and an accompanying pic gallery of seventeen images.
The story and images are the result of a recent (self funded) visit to Papua New Guinea to document the story of the just imposed ban on the sale and public use of the habitual carcinogenic betel nut – or ‘buai’ as it is called locally. The social implications of the ban and it’s effect on the betel nut trade that is a bread winner for a massive proportion of PNG residents will be immense.
The results of my journalistic torment can be found here in the SMH at http://www.smh.com.au/world/chewing-over-a-betel-ban-20131108-2x6ra.html … and the image gallery here at http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/world/the-betel-nut-20131108-2x6hb.html (update: unfortunately SMH have now – as at Oct 2015 – removed these.)
The complete essay of 27 images on the betel nut story can be found on my website at https://www.briancasseyphotographer.com/photographs/betel-nut-ban-png/ and on the web site of the ‘fotostrada’ collective at http://www.fotostrada.com/brian-cassey/betel-nut-ban-hard-to-chew/BCBetelNut12/
Below is a screen grab of the SMH story as published on the printed paper page.
Images/Words © Brian Cassey
