Tag Archives: Projects
5 Minutes with a Reconciliation Photographer | Eye See Media
I was recently interviewed by Eye See Media, a media company focused on telling stories of hope and stories that are not often told. The interview, shared below, was shown on their Eye See Media’s Blog. They do some great work, and I would highly recommend reading their articles and their magazine. It was a great honor to be featured on their website.
When and how did you first become interested in photography?
I first became interested in photography during my travels through South America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. As I spent time in slums, far-flung villages, and refugee camps I repeatedly experienced a deep beauty in the people I met. I saw their joy in the midst of great suffering, and generosity in the midst of barely having enough to get through the day, and this changed how I saw the world. Over time it fundamentally changed who I was. Whenever I went through such places I captured what I could with the point and shoot camera I carried with me, but the results were never that great.
In 2008 I bought my first DSLR and a few months later I went on a trip to Guatemala for a friend’s wedding. I found myself spending hours walking through the streets and taking thousands of photos. What I was able to capture through the lens continued to reveal the power of a picture, at times expressing more than a million words would. I also enjoyed how people interacted with me just because I was holding a camera. It sure acted as a great ice-breaker!
After returning from Guatemala, I decided to pursue photography professionally, and I also decided to expand my portfolio to wedding photography and head-shots. However, the longer I spent with my camera, the deeper I desired to use my photography to show those around me a glimpse of people unknown, forgotten, and often misunderstood by them. The summer of 2009 presented the perfect opportunity to do so through a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo where I was to capture the work of a small US non-profit in Congolese refugee camps. I spent one month in Eastern Congo capturing images and hearing the moving life stories of refugees. Through this experience I truly discovered how I can uniquely capture beautiful images in the midst of great suffering, and this by primarily getting to know the people before I snapped their picture.
The following summer I joined my girlfriend, now wife, who was doing research on Iraqi Refugees in Beirut, Lebanon. Together, we captured images and stories of what these Iraqi Refugees had faced in Iraq, what led them to flee, and what life was like being caught in limbo in Beirut waiting for potential asylum in the West. The resilience, hope, generosity, and dignity these Iraqis showed after having had terrifyingly close encounters with death and while living in the midst of much insecurity and unknown was humbling, and spoke volumes of the courage that can drive the human spirit forward in the darkest moments of life. My photography barely captured all of this, but it was an experience that had me thinking deeply about the one side of war that many often forget to consider: its innocent, vulnerable victims.
This last year, as I was unable to travel and do a project abroad, I had an opportunity to partner with a local Southern California non-profit, called Mika CDC (link: www.mikacdc.org). This small non-profit does community development work with low-income Latino immigrants, the majority of whom are undocumented. The non-profit has a passion for empowering local leaders from the communities that they serve, and helping them in practical ways such as maintaining a number of education centers, health education, and community improvement projects. I was asked to capture images of their work for use in their print and online fundraising efforts. I was also hired to re-design their website, creating new photo galleries with my own photographic work. I was deeply impressed by Mika’s commitment to their work, their genuine focus on the community, and their desire to empower leaders who can bring change in their communities. Not to mention the stories of these immigrants, the injustices they face on a daily basis, and their perseverance to provide a better life for their children. Besides getting married in 2011, this project was a highlight of the year for me.
What is Art to you?
In my mind, good art captures both beauty and emotion. Whatever the means is, writing, painting, or photography, if done well they can all capture beautiful moments and deep emotions. When I visit photography exhibits or art galleries, the images and paintings that move me the most are the ones I value as good art. I am particularly interested in art that motivates action. Working with humanitarian projects, I want people to understand issues surrounding injustices and take action on behalf of those whose voice has been muted.
What is your goal with your photography?
The goal of my photography is to capture stories of people who have faced great injustices and to show the beauty, the hope, the dignity, and the humanity behind their pain. I believe that these people’s stories need to be told, and that hearing their stories inspires us all. I do this best through photography; snapshots that hopefully even those living a rushed life will catch a glimpse of. I want to share my work with anyone who would take the time to look at the hope and beauty that is seen amongst those who face the biggest injustices.
You spent some time in Lebanon and Congo, countries that the rest of the world fear because of the reports from media. Could you tell us a bit about your experiences being there and how that informed your view of media reports?
I have been surprised by every visit I have made to places considered dangerous by the West. As I spent considerable time in the Middle East and Africa, I have often been surprised by how safe I feel and by how misleading our perceptions of these places usually are. I felt as safe in Beirut, which I visited twice, as I have felt in my nearby city of Los Angeles. I feel that much of what the media says about these places is overblown and biased by an agenda to instill fear. Not to discount the reality of ethnic tensions (Lebanon) or even rebel forces (Congo), but I believe that you run the same risks in neighborhoods of major Western cities such as Los Angeles, New York, or London. Anywhere you go, you run the risk of something misfortunate happening to you, especially if you enter that place ignorant of the local customs and arrogantly proud of yours. Living your life in fear is not the answer. I personally made the conscious choice a while ago to not let fear rule over my decisions but rather to choose to understand others. No one is too hard to understand. And so I have chosen to go the places where the need for understanding and reconciliation is great, regardless of whether it is regarded as safe or not.
Why is it important to show the sides of life that don’t commonly get represented in the media when we communicate about countries and cultures we have experienced?
Solely because what we often hear is not the whole story and this is doing absolutely no justice to the many efforts to cancel out misunderstand, hatred, and fear. What desperately needs to be instilled is a love for and celebration of diversity. I have personally encountered great beauty in the midst of much injustice and suffering, a beauty that has changed me, and I believe others would be able to experience the same if only they were given the chance to. There is beauty for everyone everywhere-what we need are the eyes to see that beauty. My experiences have changed the way in which I see the world and I have the desire to capture those experiences through photography and share them with whomever is willing to stop and look.
Letting in the Light | Mika Community Development
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. (Jesus in Matthew 25)
There are days when I knock on heaven’s door and all I hear is the knock echoing back. Then there are those other days when it is as if the Father anticipates my desperate visit, and my knocking brings Him running to the door. Today was one of those days.
Reading the news this morning left me sadder, more angry and frustrated than I have in the last couple of weeks. Nothing new made the headlines, but as I read of the continued unrest in the Middle East and the violence triggered by the genial decision of a Floridian Pastor to set Islam’s holy book on fire, I felt wearier than I would have liked to feel after a good night sleep. When will Your light and love heal such intense brokenness, I asked of God.
Later in the day, I joined the Mika team for a wine-tasting fundraising event. As I have shared in previous blog posts over the last couple of weeks, Mika Community Development Corporation is a small non-profit that works with low-income Latino immigrants in four neighborhoods in the city of Costa Mesa. After allowing the guests to savor the delectable wines and appetizers, Crissy Brooks, Mika’s Director, talked briefly on what fuels their work: God’s command to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8). And, to act justly and to love mercy requires that we first commune with those against whom injustice is done. For how can we bring justice and show mercy to them, unless we first truly understand and closely witness the injustices carried out against them? How can we speak of their injustices if our hearts are yet to be burdened by them?
A brief message, but God needs not many words to speak to my heart. There and then, that door I anxiously knocked on this morning opened, and the Father reminded me that He would never fail to heal if only we paused to love those around us; to share His love with those who need it most. Many find it easy to ‘love’ from afar. Our relief and development aid funds have earned us the reputation of a mightily generous people. Yet, showing compassion and expressing genuine love and respect is much harder to do face to face than with thousands of miles standing between them and us. We would be fools to believe that our monetary donations are tantamount to true compassion, for compassion can never be bought with money, but is rather instilled as we come along the poor and increased as our lives become intertwined with theirs.
At Mika they do that well. Humbly, simply, but well. Rain or shine, they walk alongside their neighbors, with compassion and a love that deepen and become more resilient with the years. Like I have done in past weeks, I would love to share photos of the people Mika works so closely with. This week I share from the Maple Avenue neighborhood, where I spent time with the children during their after-school program, and with the adults during a Neighborhood Action Committee meeting. I was also able to visit some of neighborhood leaders in their homes, allowing me a more intimate look into their lives. All along, I was trusted because I came with their beloved friends.
Maple’s Learning Center on Maple Avenue is used for an after-school program and neighborhood leaders meetings on a weekly basis.
***Mika’s work can be read about in further detail on www.mikacdc.org. The new website is still under construction, to be launched next month.
Story by Nathalie Borg Seale | Photos by Joshua Seale
Hope on Center Street | Mika Community Development
“Poverty does not only consist of being hungry for bread, but rather it is a tremendous hunger for human dignity” (Mother Theresa)
This is Facia, a single mother of three boys and one of Mika’s key neighborhood leaders on Center Street. The passion and vision she has for her neighborhood are infectious, and my conversation with her – besides making me regret not knowing Spanish better – left me wondering why I don’t talk of my neighbors or my neighborhood the way she does. Facia’s commitment to bringing positive solutions to the issues that her low-income neighborhood is facing is undeniable, not only through her words but most of all through her actions.
For the last five years, Facia has been working with Mika staff and fellow neighbors to instill transformation and empowerment into the people of Center Street. She has participated in city meetings, planned community events, spoken to university classes, and been a key decision-maker in neighborhood planning – all because she has been acknowledged as a leader and empowered to identify her community’s needs and desires. Today, Facia is only one of many neighbors who actively participate in Center Street’s Neighborhood Action Committee (NAC), a group of neighbors who, together with Mika, identify, design, fund, implement, and evaluate sustainable neighborhood initiatives.
When the neighbors on Center Street began dreaming about what their neighborhood needed, a community center seemed to be a great desire for many; a safe place where children could get help with their homework, where adults could be educated on health and local resources, and where all could gather together as a community. And so the committee set out to search for both a location and the necessary funding to open a community center. After several months, during which parents volunteered their homes for in-home tutoring groups, the committee together with Mika opened the Centro de Esperanza, Vision hacia el Futuro (Hope Center, a Vision for our Future). In another couple of months, the floors were replaced, the walls were painted, and the Hope Center opened its doors to the community.
After school, K-12 students get assistance with their homework from tutors who fully volunteer their time. When not used for their children’s academic enrichment, the neighborhood leaders maximize the space available to them for their own growth and education. They have initiated ESL courses, health education classes, physical exercise classes, and healthy marriage classes.
In addition, evening meetings are held at the center by the NAC to discuss plans for the future of their neighborhood.
From its very beginning, the Hope Center has modeled the true interdependence of Center Street’s community. On their own, one person could not have accomplished this vision, but together the neighbors were able to dream big and see that dream fulfilled. Each year the neighbors take on an increasingly larger portion of the funding and actively participate in the operation of the center. Dignified, they are able to invest in what their community needs the most.
***Mika’s work can be read about in further detail on www.mikacdc.org. The new website is still under construction, to be launched next month.
Story by Nathalie Borg Seale | Photos by Joshua Seale
Act. Love. Walk. | Mika Community Development Corporation.
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
The Newport-Mesa area in Orange County is an area that has always triggered mixed emotions. Having worked there for almost a year, I can definitely appreciate its nice restaurants, its busy pubs, its luxurious marinas, and its natural beauty, the area being so close to the ocean. Yet, the distinct divide between the wealthy and the poor that I have so often observed as I have ventured out into the area’s diverse neighborhoods has left me perplexed, troubled, and burdened by the deep lack experienced by so many whilst others live in great excess.
For the past few months, my fiancée has been interning at a small non-profit based in Costa Mesa: Mika Community Development Corporation. Their work and mission immediately drew me to them, as it seemed that their heart had been broken for things similar to what had been breaking mine. In a nutshell, Mika’s focus is on loving those neighbors that many find it difficult to truly love. And because true love empowers, strengthens, and heals, these neighbors have been able to shine and to set off much needed transformation in their communities.
Founded in 2003, Mika’s founders and its current team believe that Costa Mesa’s social issues need to be addressed locally, and this by acknowledging and involving not only the rich but most especially the poor. Over the last years, Mika’s staff has developed and invested in relationships with neighbors in four low-income communities residing on Shalimar Drive, Center Street, Maple Avenue, and Baker Avenue. Their work is mostly focused on Neighborhood Development and Youth Development, with Mika’s broader mission being to identify and equip leaders in low-income neighborhoods to build communities with VISION…
- Vision: neighbors share and agree on a desired future for their community
- Interdependent Relationships with God and Each Other: neighbors support one another in all facets of life: spiritually, emotionally, socially, and economically
- Servant Leadership: leaders are committed to serve, listen, trust, collaborate, and empower other neighbors to serve effectively
- Impact: neighbors identify, design, fund, manage and evaluate sustainable initiatives that transform their community
- Organization: neighbors have established efficient and effective local systems and structures to reach their shared goals and vision
- Networks: neighbors collaborate with public and private partners from inside and outside the community to maximize the impact of their initiatives
A few weeks ago, Mika trusted me with the redesigning of their website, which I am doing in tandem with building a new photo portfolio of the neighborhoods they work in. The main focus of my work has been to communicate Mika’s mission and vision as clearly as possible, with the desire that more will be drawn to their work, and to partner with Mika in however ways they are able to. As I captured these images with my camera, I yearned to communicate the beauty that is found amongst much hardship, the familiarity that can be experienced amongst those most unknown to us, and the close-knit community that is formed when strength lies not in living alone but in living peacefully with others, walking together towards a common good.
Today I share some photos taken on Shalimar Drive, where I spent a few hours getting to know the neighbors Mika has been working with over the last few years. The next few weeks will feature faces from the other three neighborhoods.
The Shalimar neighborhood is comprised of three streets that are blocked off on three sides, creating a safe atmosphere for children and youth to interact and play. These boys, first generation Americans of Latino immigrant families, were more than keen to be photographed; a great way to break the ice!
The neighborhood’s park, once used by drug users and gangs, has recently been returned to the children of Shalimar. Together with Mika, the neighbors were able to meet with the Parks and Recreation Department to ask for support in upgrading and remodeling the park.
Recently, the neighbors planted a community garden behind the park that encourages families and generations to work together and provide vegetables for individuals and families in need.
While the neighborhood is still fighting a reputation of crime and violence, a new history is being written, one telling of neighbors working together. Shalimar’s weekly block party is one event that clearly witnesses this. This block party allows for families to cook and sell food, allowing for another source of family income. And the food is good!
Two of Mika’s seven staff members live on Shalimar Drive. Their presence in the neighborhood speaks not only of their personal commitment to their neighbors, but also of their willingness to experience at first hand the neighborhood’s hardships and needs.
***Mika’s work can be read about in further detail on www.mikacdc.org. The new website is still under construction, to be launched next month.
Story by Nathalie Borg Seale | Photos by Joshua Seale
Interview on Revolt Collective
This last weekend I was interviewed on the first ever Revolt Collective podcast. This blog is run by my good friend Joel Hickenbottom and it was really great to be featured on it. I was able to share about how I started in photography, my thoughts on the Middle East, and my upcoming project in Lebanon with Iraqi Refugees. Thank you Joel for this opportunity!
Revolt Collective describes itself as:
“We are a faith-based collective of activists, thinkers, creatives & entrepreneurs who aspire to be the greatest lovers the world has ever seen. By revolting towards & not against. Towards love, justice, community, beauty, creation, creativity, our neighbor & ultimately, Jesus.”
Check out Revolt Collective at their website: http://www.revoltcollective.com/
Follow Revolt Collective on twitter: http://twitter.com/revoltcollectiv
Iraqi Refugees in Lebanon
At a celebration with some Iraqi Refugees in San Diego.
Over the last few months I have been reading, listening, and learning as much as I can about the current Iraqi refugee crisis in the Middle East, most notably in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. I have also spent a number of weekends with some Iraqi refugees that have resettled in San Diego, and I have been truly touched by their stories as they shared about their life in Iraq, and what it means to leave all you have ever known and start anew in a foreign land. My girlfriend Nathalie is currently in Lebanon, where she has partnered with a local NGO that provides relief to Iraqi refugees, as well as pays them visits to hear their stories, and comfort and encourage them through the message of the Gospel. I am planning on joining Nathalie and NGO Heart For Lebanon in less than a month.
The stories of the Iraqis caught in Lebanon are heartbreaking: family members killed, loved ones kidnapped and missing to this very day, and a loss of just about everything they ever worked and lived for. Perhaps what touches one’s heart the most is to see children still scared of all that surrounds them.
Most Iraqis, especially Christian Iraqis, fled the country that they still love for fear of being killed or caught in the endless violence that has gripped Iraq since the US invasion in 2003. Once they arrive in another country, usually Syria, Jordan or Lebanon, they are not able to work legally and are often taken advantage of in their vulnerable situation.
They are stuck, caught in grim transition, not being able to make a living, unable to provide even the most basic needs for their families. Yet, most humbling is the gratefulness and hope that they are able to communicate. However, more can be done, and more needs to be done in order for these refugees to know that they are being prayed for and loved. As of January 2010, there were as many as 3.5 million refugees from Iraq, according to the UNHCR.
The stories of these refugees need to be told, and they need to be told in a way that dignifies them. On July 18th, I will be joining Nathalie and Heart For Lebanon, the NGO she is partnering with, in an effort to land a hand in all that they do. I will be helping with food and clothing distribution, but primarily doing the house visits with Nathalie and the team. Since my passion is in photography, I am also eager to capture their lives through still images and videos, and sharing their stories accordingly.
Hearing about what Heart for Lebanon does has motivated me to give wholeheartedly while I am out there. Costs will total to around $3,000, but I am hoping to raise beyond this amount in order to contribute to the projects that they are doing to meet Iraqi’s immediate material and spiritual needs. If you feel led to support me in this venture, please email me at: joshua@joshua-seale.com or you can give directly through Paypal.
Lebanon this Summer…
I am very excited to share and announce that I will be going to Lebanon this summer and working with refugees along with my girlfriend Nathalie. My hope is to tell the stories of refugees through both still photography and video, similar to what I did in Congo last summer.
In 2006, I lived in Beirut, Lebanon for three months, and have wanted to go back ever since. I loved my time there and feel like the Father has put so much in my heart about what He is doing there. So much of my philosophy in what I am trying to communicate and capture through my photography, and this blog, was developed through my time there.
Nathalie will be spending seven weeks in Lebanon. Here she explains what she will be doing and why she is going:
“Over the summer I will be joining a Christian Lebanese NGO that reaches out to Iraqi refugees in the city of Beirut, helping them in their work, as well as carrying out research for my Masters thesis. In doing a Masters degree in Anthropology, my focus has been on development in the context of the Middle East, and as it can be used to bring security, justice, rights, and hope to refugees in the region. It is finally time to transition from the classroom to the field, to a nation that has seen one too many conflicts; a nation that is, in its own way, trying to negotiate a balance between tradition and modernity; a nation that in the midst of political instability is hosting two large refugee populations that have been uprooted as a result of the war in Iraq, and the continuing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
If you had to ask me what I am expecting from my time in Beirut, I would first giggle nervously, and then share that I expect my Father to blow my mind with how He’s moving in the midst of much pain and suffering; I expect Him to continue to show me how He sees refugees, and with that continue to break my heart for people who have lost everything in the name of war. I know that He will keep speaking to me on how He’d love to bring me in on His plan for redemption for refugees in the Middle East. I also know that there will be times when I will be overwhelmed, but my Father is a loving expert in centering me back in on Him when I choose to barter my hope, joy, and peace in His Son for the many injustices that surround me. One last thing: I also cannot wait to spend time with Jesus in the region He chose to come to earth to, that faithful day. We will be enjoying long, hot, and humid days by the Mediterranean. They won’t be our first, and certainly not our last!”
I am planning on going to Lebanon for the last ten days of her trip, and spend some time capturing and hearing stories of different refugees. I feel as though this is another opportunity to build and develop my skill and passion for capturing and communicating stories of hope and transformation through my camera.
Obviously there are some large costs that go along with this trip. While I am able to pay some of the costs through my job, it is honestly a walk of faith to be able to go. I have complete confidence that God is going to provide for me, as He has so many times before. But if you feel like you want to give towards this trip, it would be greatly appreciated. You can easily do so through Paypal here:
Iraqi Refugees in San Diego
A few weekends ago, Nathalie and I spent some time with a few Chaldean Iraqi friends down in El Cajon, San Diego. Almost every Sunday over the summer months, literally thousands of Chaldean Iraqis get together in a few different parks in San Diego to celebrate their patron saints as they would in Iraq. Such gatherings also allow for families and young people to come together as a community in a new land. Young and old gather together, kebab’s are grilled, hookah is smoked, and traditional dancing is the highlight of these gatherings.
The more stories I hear about Iraqi refugees and what they have been through, the more my heart breaks for them. These refugees have been through so much in leaving Iraq and getting here. I am currently reading the book, “Waiting for an Ordinary Day” which is written by a Wall Street Journal reporter who lived in Iraq before and during the occupation. It chronicles the life of different Iraqis she has met, and gives a very personal picture of what has happened in Iraq during the last few years.
During my time with our Iraqi friends, I couldn’t help think about the difficulties and horrors they have seen and experienced. I also couldn’t be more surprised by how they are simply able to enjoy life: it is the simple things in life that they hold on to and enjoy. It was a beautiful (and fun) experience to share with them all.
Finding Hope…
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.” (Matthew 5: 3-4 – The Message)
I had to pose the question: “What was your journey with God like in the midst of all this?” Janan, a Chaldean Iraqi who started life anew over a year ago in El Cajon, San Diego, had been talking freely about his life all morning. This was not the first instance we had spent time together, yet I was deeply touched by both his openness and willingness to share, and by the hard life he had led at only 19 years of age. His peace and wisdom throughout led me to bring up matters of faith and, quite truly, I should not have been too surprised by his simple yet heart-felt answer: “Nothing is too hard for God. He can do everything. You do all you can do, and then you wait. My journey brought me closer to God.”
Perhaps it is the academic in me that expected us to talk about faith for longer and in more complex terms, but it was his child-like faith that left the biggest impact, a mere reminder that God is in control, always, and there is not much more that one ought to ponder on.
Janan and his family left their village in the North of Iraq two years ago after his father was kidnapped while travelling across the country. It was the last straw. His family had received threat notes and life had gotten worse after the insurgence. Things during Saddam Hussein’s reign were hard, and little was earned with much toil. A hope for change was birthed with his death, but religious conflict and violence soon dampened this hope. It was time to run for even the unknown was safer and so, together with his mother and brothers, Janan crossed the northern border over to Turkey and did life as best as they could before they were granted asylum in the United States. Janan’s hope for a better life, one of peace and freedom, had been dampened but not quite lost. News of the release of his father reached his family soon after their arrival in the United States and they are now waiting for him to join them in El Cajon. Janan’s unceasing efforts to grasp a good command of English are driven by his dream to go to college and eventually qualify as an X-ray Technician. In his own words, work is secure with such a career choice. Finding a job, any job, has been hard for Janan and he yearns for the security in building a professional career.
God’s favor and protection over Janan and his family is evident. The large majority of his extended family escaped Iraq unscratched and has now resettled in the West. Considering the odds against them, this speaks of a heavenly blessing, and Janan sees and recognizes this. Rooted in that blessing, he knows that his Father in Heaven has many good things for him and his future, and that cannot but instill joy and peace as he chooses to look onwards and upwards.
In 2009 the number of Iraqi refugees resettled in the United States was shy of 20,000, with San Diego County taking more recent refugees than anywhere else in the United States. Building friendships with these refugees has been a joy and a strong testimony to my heart; eating, fellowshipping, worshipping, and celebrating with them a reminder of why God has put the Middle East and refugees on my heart.
This post was written by my amazing girl-friend Nathalie. Nathalie is going to be in the Middle East this summer working with Iraqi Refugees.
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