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Talks &
Booking
Have We Forgotten?
The Face of War,
Diaspora and Current Conditions in Afghanistan
Connie Frisbee
Houde is a photojournalist who first traveled to
Afghanistan in February of 2003 to witness a
country working to recover from over 25 years of
war. Currently Afghanistan is the “forgotten war”
as the mainstream media has flocked to cover Iraq
and the “war on terror.” Learn from Connie’s
experience walking among the Afghan people in both
rural and urban areas that this is a tragedy of
untold proportions.
Following the work
of NOOR, the eye care program of one of the oldest
humanitarian aid organization’s and the only
program offering this care in Afghanistan has
enabled Connie to experience the daily workings of
a country lacking basic amenities — roads, methods
of communication, electricity — to name only a
few. Hear how a one-day trip to a small village
took three days and even then required a half-day
trek to reach the original destination due to road
conditions and the lack of roads. She has also
been able to observe Afghanistan as it prepared
for both the presidential and parliamentary
elections, working to be come a democracy.
To add to the depth of her
knowledge Connie Frisbee Houde is interviewing and
photographing some of the over 3000 individuals
who represent a portion of the Afghan Diaspora as
they have resettled in the Capital District area
of Albany, New York. Recording these poignant
harrowing and
untold stories of escape and resettlement in the
US, she has seen the healing effects that telling
their stories has as these Afghans reclaim their
lives so affected by the horror of war. Many of
these families are still connected to relatives in
Afghanistan often sending support to assist them
and thereby maintaining an intimate knowledge of
the political and economic conditions of their
beloved country of origin.
Connie Frisbee Houde’s Diaspora photographs and
interviews combined with her on-the-ground
experience there, give Connie a unique perspective
of the present day conditions in Afghanistan.
“While in Afghanistan I quickly fell in love with
the people I met - the noble faces of the men, the
strength of the women and the poignant beauty of
the children whose eyes were windows to their
souls. I am not simply looking at the Afghans
through my lens, I am capturing them looking back
at us." It is this view that is crucial to
the understanding of the current conditions in
this once again forgotten and yet very vital part
of the world.
Connie has also traveled in other third world
countries and areas of the world affected by war.
These experiences and journeys of conscience add a
depth of understanding to her experiences in
Afghanistan.
Booking Inquiries:
Global Village
Photographer
c/o Connie Frisbee Houde
22 Elm Street, Albany, NY 12202
518.465.0582
info@conniefrisbeehoude.com
Resume:
Click here to
download Connie Frisbee Houde's short resume.
Click here to
download Connie Frisbee Houde's full resume.
Connie Frisbee
Houde’s presentations are flexible and can
incorporate a number of different forms including
a multimedia presentation based on sights, sounds
and interviews from her experience, question and
answer period, panel discussion and/or photo
exhibit. A program will vary based on the current
conditions in Afghanistan and the type of
presentation. Possible multimedia presentations
include but are not limited to:
Are We There Yet?
based on the difficulties of travel in Afghanistan
— July August 2005
A Day in
Afghanistan:
based on traveling with a surgical eye team to
rural Afghanistan — 2004
Listen to the
Voices:
based on statements of Afghan women February 2003
and repeated in the present
From A Distance:
a poetic and poignant view of the world and
Afghanistan
Expenses for this
work require a request for a modest stipend and
travel expenses. All proceeds go toward ongoing
work in Afghanistan.
Related and
Alternative Essays and/or Presentation Topics:
Is This the Face
of the Enemy?
Based on experiences in Vietnam; Bosnia; Peru;
Chiapas, Mexico; Cambodia; Egypt; and Jordan.
Imagine:
Photographs of the global village
Wheel of Time:
The creation of a Tibetan Sand Mandala
Sites and Sounds
of China:
from a November 2004 trip in Yunnan Province
Heart Island -
Peru:
Based on years of travel in Peru and study of its
culture and spirit
Slide essays can
be developed specifically for an individual
conference or event. |
