In 2013 I travelled to Zambia with my father and two other people. Two weeks of safari in South Luangwa were followed by a week with Gli Occhi della Speranza. The passage between those two journeys within the same country is what I remember most.
South Luangwa and the time to observe
We changed lodges only a few times and devoted most of our time to safari. South Luangwa is known for its wildlife density and walking-safari tradition. Staying in the same territory, instead of chasing a sequence of destinations, made the experience more intense and less like a collection of sightings.
A week with Gli Occhi della Speranza
The second part of the journey took place with the association founded by Carlo Landucci. We visited children, care facilities and a community in a remote area. We were also received by two traditional authorities introduced to us as the territory's king and queen. They were not figures comparable to European royalty; the meeting required me to suspend categories I had taken for granted.
I do not want to turn people and vulnerability into narrative scenery. My strongest memory comes from a facility supporting people marked by the effects of leprosy. A young man with no fingers on either hand was repairing a small open radio, working among wires and components. I do not know the rest of his story and do not want to assign him words or meanings he never gave me.
"That image did not speak to me about abstract heroism. It forced me to see ability and persistence where my first glance had noticed only impairment."
Photography as responsibility
I hope to recover the photographs from that journey, but publishing them will require care. A photograph can preserve a memory while exposing someone who never chose our story. Images, names and precise locations will therefore be evaluated before entering the page.
This journey continues the story of Carlo Landucci and photography and helps explain why Africa cannot be just a backdrop.
What remains without forcing a moral
What remains is time shared with my father, the concentration of safari, the children we met through the mission and that open radio. They do not need to be compressed into a single lesson. Some experiences keep working on us precisely because they cannot be fully summarised.
