After Chukha we had a day in Thimphu. The Mountain Echoes Literary Festival is a big event for writers, both Bhutanese and other. Actually I get the feeling that it is a lot of work for the Bhutanese. There are speakers, book launches, films, performances and art. On Saturday morning we went to a book launch. A very interesting book by Serena Chopra. She began photographing Bhutanese in 2003 in remote areas of the country. She spent about 6 years travelling and taking black and white film photos with her Hassleblad camera. It sounds as though she made a personal spiritual journey through that time also. She met the Queen Mother unknowingly at first as Serena was a business woman and was shutting her company and donating goods. She came across the Tarayana Foundation which was created by Her Majesty and donated a lot of household goods. A book of her photos was published, but another publisher asked her to create a bigger book with text from her journals. The three women were on stage, talking about the book, the process and the Bhutanese. The first edition was presented to the Prime Minister. Those of you who have been in Bhutan will be able to imagine and picture the ceremony and simplicity combined of such an event. Lots of standing and sitting and standing again as officials and royalty enter, stand and sit.
No comments:
Post a Comment