One of the loveliest things about the “Humans of New York” album is that it captures in a pithy way what it is about people that is so endearing. On days when “the world is too much with us”, it’s a good album to peruse to get your groove back on.
Many images, like this one, don’t appear to be actually taken in New York since the city slums aren’t shanties–so it’s not clear if this was taken in Nairobi, Kenya or if the kids are from there.
“When they don’t think I’m watching, they do the funniest things. They are always dancing together. I found them in the kitchen yesterday, pretending to cook.”
“What’s your greatest worry as a parent?”
“Their health. They’re always getting sick from the cold and the dust. Sometimes the dust gets so bad, they lose their voices.”
(Nairobi, Kenya)
From “Humans of New York” album”:
“He lived with his mother in Gaza when he was very young. One night, I talked to him on the phone before bedtime, and he told me he was wearing three pairs of pants to bed. I said: ‘Three pairs of pants? Why aren’t you in your pajamas?’ He told me: ‘Because I want my body to hold together if a bomb falls on me.’”
This boy, no older than 9 or 10-years-old now, indicted Israel for several war & human rights crimes in a few simple words without need for UN or Human Rights Watch investigations & without the legalese & sophistry that lets Israel go scot-free after every phase of Operation Ethnic Cleansing.
(Petra, Jordan)
From “Humans of New York” album: “What happened to your arm?”
“I was walking down the stairs and looking at the stars.”
There’s a metaphor there.
(Amman, Jordan)
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