Graeme Kennedy Photography

Studio Updates —

Studio updates.

Posts tagged Rural
Stinky Economies
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In December, I attended perhaps one of my more memorable parties of 2018, and more or less by accident.

Satkargone, a small Danu Tribe village, like many villages in Shan State grows rice, but they have also carved a niche out for themselves in the region growing flowers, and after the rice harvest, Garlic.

I arrived in Satkargone just after the rice harvest finished, and to get ready to plant their garlic, the young people in town would get together in the evenings around a fire to peel last year's garlic to put the cloves in the ground the following morning.

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As any evening around a fire is, the conversation was carefree, a small handheld TV played Looney Tunes clips, the ground was covered in garlic stems and peels, and man, could these kids peel garlic. The town has been growing garlic for generations, beyond memory, their garlic is smaller, but a richer more fragrant flavour. The valleys around the town have been trying to replicate and grow their garlic strain for years but never seem to get the same result, leaving the Danu farmers in Satkargone a nice market… until recently.

Chinese grown garlic from a few hundred kilometres north is less fragrant but far larger, and often sells for cheaper as more of China's farms industrialise. In recent years it's been harder for these farmers to sell their products in markets next to this new competitor.

Ever since I've moved to Shanghai, my trips abroad have often revealed similar stories to me, as the country becomes a bigger economic player, globalisation often has 'made in China’ stamped on the bottom. For better or for worse, even little untouched areas like Satkargone are feeling the effects of this, so who knows how many more of these garlic peeling parties will be left. Will China's increasing production strength drown their little industry as it so often does, or will their unique garlic find a place in the region’s growing taste for quality ingredients?

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Nike Globalism
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So often when I travel to places like this, I long for that classic shot, one that’s filled with authenticity, culture, uniqueness. As a photographer, it used to bother me when a Nike swish or a pair of knock-off Adidas trousers wandered into the background of my photos. When I had my first experiences photographing hill tribes along the Thai-Myanmar border ten years ago, I remember shooting around all the Real Madrid and Manchester United jerseys that had made their way back to the tribes from some relative who had brought them back from their city life three days down the road.

Today, being back on the other side of that border, my mind has changed a bit. No matter where I’ve been, whether it’s Africa, Asia, Latin America, you name it, brands (or their replica ‘tributes’), have made their way into the wardrobes of all ages. Cloths are cloths. If they fit, they fit. This is one of the many subtle ways our incredible global economy has shown its face in these tucked away corners of our world. These moments are the authentic, sincere representation of life here, in this case, for the Danu Tribe.

Unfortunately, for this Danu village in central Myanmar, a global economy hasn’t been all good news and Nike Swishes for them… (Stay tuned…)

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