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Flood scenes and portraits of residents in Burundi.
This photo story tells of the floods in Burundi through street scenes and portraits of residents. It shows how water invades roads and homes, and how families adapt.
Burundi is a small country in East Africa. As in other countries of the Great Lakes region, heavy rains can cause rivers to overflow and streets to flood. When the water rises, roads disappear and buildings stand with their feet in the water.
In these images, a woman crosses a flooded street with her child on her back. A child paddles in a basin, as if in a small boat. Residents gather at the edge of a road cut off by water, and three men, their heads in their hands, stay under a tree.
Beyond the disaster, this photo story gives a voice to faces. You see the portrait of a woman in a colourful headscarf in front of a red brick wall. Further on, a young mother holds her baby in front of her makeshift home. Another woman sits on a chair, her eyes closed.
These portraits show weariness, but also the dignity of people living with uncertainty. Floods are not only images of water. They are also lives that must be reorganised, day after day.
For this story on floods in Burundi, the eye stays at human height. The photographs avoid the spectacular and favour simple gestures: crossing a street, carrying a child, waiting at the water’s edge. They invite us to understand what water changes in the daily lives of families.
This story is part of Alexander Bee’s documentary photography portfolio. You can also discover Kashmir: Srinagar and the weavers or Niger: women and children. To buy a print or use a photo, contact me. To learn more: Burundi on Wikipedia.
Photos © Alexander Bee – all rights reserved. Prints and licensing: contact me.
