As our world becomes more technologically advanced we humans become more and more connected. With IM I can talk to anyone anywhere in the world at any time. The internet, cellular networks and advancements in computer technology allow me to gather information from libraries in Moscow and South Africa. With this interconnectedness must come the major realization of our time. That we are all connected. All of us, our actions as a society affect other societies all over the world. In this case the explosive desire in the West for drugs like Heroine have turned whole societies upside down as traffickers choose new countries to ship their drugs through. The methods however are the same. Violence, despair and fear. If you think it can't happen in our backyards your mistaken. If you think it has nothing to do with us your also mistaken. Marco Vernaschi is a photographer from Turin Italy currently residing in Buenos Aires. His lense has captured the heartbreak in a small West African country, Guinea- Bissau, where certain terrorist networks get funded by the drug trade. The introduction of crack cocaine to the region is extremely new, unregulated and crack addicts have turned to prostitution to feed themselves and their habits. The entire country is at the behest of drug smugglers and cartels who control the government creating a way station for drugs coming into and out of Western Africa. As a result HiV/AIDS has run rampant throughout the region. Here's his story told in pictures. For his courage and brilliant photography he has won the Lens Cultures International Exposures Awards grand prize. But since pictures speak so much louder than words.....
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"Besides the violence and corruption, drug trafficking also brought marginalization among locals. Crack addiction, a consequence of the drug trade, increased prostitution and caused an unseen wave of HIV and AIDS in the capital, Bissau." - Marco Vernaschi
Pics & story via: Lens Culture
Please visit Marcos website: here
"Guinean drug traffickers try to emulate U.S. gangsters’ lifestyles. Gold chains, Hummers and expensive villas are a must for drug dealers in the fifth poorest country of the world. The gangster lifestyle and consequent ostentation is a curious contrast in a country that doesn’t even have electricity." - Marco Vernaschi
"Guinea-Bissau doesn’t have a designated prison. One of the locations used to imprison criminals is an old colonial house. P
"Two Nigerians affiliated with a Guinean drug trafficking ring prepare capsules containing cocaine that will be swallowed and then smuggled into Europe." - Marco Vernaschi
"Crack was an unknown drug in Bissau until 2007, when drug traffickers started their business in Guinea-Bissau. The drug issue is so new that there is no data available, making it impossible to say how many people are lost in crack addiction. Worse, there is no consciousness among the people about the long-term effects of this plague. The drug situation in Bissau is particularly sad. There is no prevention, no rehabilitation." - Marco Vernaschi
"Local drug traffickers have successfully organized a strong criminal network in Bissau. Over the last two years, abductions, murders and threats have gradually became normal practice. In this picture, an account is settled between drug dealers." - Marco Vernaschi
"On March 2nd at 5:00 am, President Joao Bernardo Vieira was killed by order of a few generals trying to make new alliances with drug cartels. According to Interpol, Vieira was personally involved in drug trafficking and was trying to keep his generals at the edge of his business dealings. When they became too eager for power, he started to eliminate them." - Marco Vernaschi
"The President was shot to death and slaughtered with a machete in his kitchen. This picture depicts the place where he was killed. Vieira, who ruled this small African nation for nearly a quarter century, was killed upon order of a few generals who are trying to make new alliances with drug cartels in order to transform the country into a military controlled point of shipment, where no force would be allowed to interfere." - Marco Vernaschi
"The team of soldiers who executed the President, photographed seven hours after they accomplished their task, in the Military Headquarters in Bissau." - Marco Vernaschi
"A crack addict prostitute, with a western client." - Marco Vernaschi
