Mala Kumph Mela 2013

Eva Parey/4SEE

The Maha Kumbh Mela is believed to be the single largest religious gathering in the world. It’s a sacred pilgrimage celebrated every twelve years. In 2013 it has taken place in Allahabad, in the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. Millions of hindu people gather on a single day for a ritual bath in the sacred waters of Ganga. The event congregate millions of devotees, sadhus and sadhvis of all the akharas coming from all over India.

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Greece, Crisis and social catastrophe  

Bruno Castanheira/4SEE

Athens, the capital of Greece, is the epicentre of the crisis, and the place where the economical, human and anthropological consequences of this are more visible and obvious: hundreds of people daily line up to receive a free meal from a charity soup kitchen, about one third of the shops located in downtown were forced to close, and the number of homeless people dramatically increased, leading to the tragic outgrowth of other problems, such as the expansion of drug addiction, prostitution and serious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV.

So far, the social tension in the city is showing no signs of decreasing, as proved by the more and more raging demonstrations against the Government policies, and the recurrent, cruel, racist attacks.

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Princesses for sale

Eva Parey/4SEE

Each spring in Mogila, Bulgaria, is celebrated the Gypsy Bride Market. In this festival the virginity is for sale. The honor can be bought. Every girl has a price to be agreed between the parents of the girl and the candidate. The price can range between 1.500 and 10.000€, in a country where the minimum salary is just over 100€.
The market joins the Kalajdzii families, known as the thracians tinkerers, whose tradition is still alive.

Many girls dress as real princesses, others prefer to dress in a modern way. They dance during hours the ring dance while grandparents and parents watch the way the young interrelate. Many girls dream to be married by the rite imposed by the tradition. Nowadays there are some girls that don’t agree with the tradition and would prefer not to marry, although they assist to these market all the times.

Divorces and elopements, so far taboo, are becoming everytime more frequent. Beyond the topic, ethnologists, define it as the Kalajdzii’s disco, where the family honor is involved in a commercial transaction. This ritual has being celebrated for years, so anthropologists think is not going to change too much in future.

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Mozambique . Coal Exiles

Andoni Lubaki/4SEE

In southern Mozambique, in the heart of Maputo and just a few meters from the capital´s airport , is Huléne´s dump.

Mother of many stories, home of many renegades and a way of maintenance for many others. It’s hard to achieve any kind of judgment, when incredulity upheaves any soul or intellectual perception.

There converge all sorts of needs and purposes. Constant movement of trucks and people make up a complex interplay of colors and sensations that awaken us to the doorstep of the poor and insensitive. There are many characters, but very few differences.

The "garbage collectors" are the ones who shake their horizons. They are the pawns of a few businesses, and perhaps more profitable, they can still flourish among the deepest and most desperate filthiness - recycling. Desperate, they try to frantically stick the roads of garbage in search of some utility. Because that utility there, can later be worth a little more bread and milk.

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Tchikuteny´s big family

Bruno Fonseca/4SEE

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Syria conflict 

Andoni Lubaki/4SEE

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