We go about our typical days being woken up by alarm clocks, flipping on light switches here and there on our way to the coffee machine, then we turn that on as well. It’s easy to forget what life would be like without these simple things. It would kinda feel like a disaster … and I’m not talking about the coffee, I mean not having electricity.
It’s true that 1.6 billion people worldwide live without electricity. Maybe you had a taste of it during the New York blackout in 2004, but instead of having a lot of sex by candlelight, living without electricity from 6 p.m.–6.a.m. is some people’s norm and not so romantic. Have you ever wondered what happens in African rural villages after the sun goes down?
Photographer Peter DiCampo shows you in his amazing photo essay with one plan, to only use the light available so that in the photo, you see what they see. He doesn’t want you to marvel just at them, but to understand.
“It’s important to me to tell stories that present a problem without victimizing the subject. I have no desire to contribute to a stereotypical view of Africa, presenting people as miserable and helpless — but I have every desire to use my photographs toward humanitarian means.”
The townsfolk from the village in Ghana where he spent some time are having a difficult time working and going to school without light. They either use flashlights, watch movies powered by a generator, sleep, entertain themselves, or hangout with friends. In the clip below, some were angry at the government for neglecting them, and others said they are happy.
One of DiCampo’s friends from the Peace Corps said in reference to his work, “It works because it’s not about electricity…. It’s a story about people who have no representation in their own government. The photos are of people living without electricity, but that’s how they’ve always lived. Of course they’re not miserable.”
Read more about his photos here.
Photo by Ha-Wee via Flickr.