JEROEN SWOLFS 10-08-1974
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DEN HAAG
NEDERLAND
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INTRODUCTION
This is not just another photography book. It is a message to all those who want to discover what a street means to society: education,
wisdom,
youth,
experience,
happiness, stories, food and so much more. You will not find aesthetics competing with constructions to impress the public. This is raw material, directly from the guts of a global traveller focusing on the essential streets. The street represents the culture, colours, rituals, and perhaps even the history of the city and country where he found them. The street is a meeting place, a platform for crowds, a centre for news and gossip, the workplace of salesmen and prostitutes, the playground of their children and the ultimate enemy of solitude and anonymity. hundred
approach to mankind. He is not naïve nor is
him, you will discover surprises which you
countries searching for that one street (or
he provincial. But because he is a fanatic city
thought had disappeared. There is so much
sometimes harbour or railway station) that
dweller, he dares to ask questions about the
to discover in the street you walk through
symbolizes a whole community. Streets after
characteristics of the street next to him, or
every day if only you start looking!
a war, a flood, a drought. Streets where
those in all the 196 cities he has visited, with
poverty and wealth mingle, where modernity
just one purpose: what can I learn from the
The street may be adventure, emotion,
pushes into tradition, kids conquer their
things I see and the people I meet?
tension, pressure and leisure. It is food,
Imagine
going
to
nearly
two
drink and the market. The street is what
space and the elderly enjoy a stroll. In a world where crisis and uncertainty seem
connects people. It is their last hope for
Imagine how difficult it must be to choose
to dominate, Swolfs wants to show us an
new beginnings and the mother of intimacy.
among all the possibilities. Why this avenue
exit. He believes in the power of life in the
Without streets we would be lost, haunting
and not that alley? It takes an enormous
streets, where people connect, shake hands
the world without direction and without
amount of patience and stamina, not exactly
and make peace. Where deals are made and
points of reference. Without streets there
the
Jeroen
food is prepared, where business and the
would be no communication, no organisation
Swolfs, who is more a hunter and a runner
playground mix. The street is the artery of
and no structure.
than a philosopher or poet. You don’t have
the city and of life itself.
talents
which
characterize
In other words: the street is everything. The
to agree with Swolf’s choices, but you won’t be able to deny the emotion he wants to
His dream is to bring homebound computer
transmit through his pictures. The repetition
addicts back to the real life beyond. He
of the chosen angle forces us to stay close to
invites us to become curious, ask questions
Thinking of streets I wonder why I always
him and to share his soul.
and wonder how our neighbors are doing.
took them for granted. They are actually one
In an age of narcissism; of me, I, and my
of man’s greatest inventions.
Jeroen Swolfs is in his early forties, a Dutch
selfie, Swolfs pulls us out of our microcosm
photographer who believes in a positive
into the lively, roaring streets. If you follow
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street is us, is me, is you.
Mark Blaisse
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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Streets of the World is about my trip around
About the technique
the world, working on the ‘Streets of the
When I started ‘Streets of the World’ in
World’ project. Its compilation is based on that
2006, in Chisinau, Moldova, I had already
trip and therefore it is not an encyclopaedia
decided on the technique that I wanted
or travel guide. It is a personal account of
to use throughout the project. Because
the way I perceive the world and the choices
Streets of the World is about unity and the
I have made creating the project. The photos
connection between people around world, I
I took are not about countries or capitals,
wanted to use a technique which conveyed
but about connecting humanity. I want to
that feeling of unity. So, I chose to always
share several basic themes which I found
use the same angle, 16 mm, and the same
all over the world, such as friendship, love,
point of view, standing in the street looking
work, family, and laughter, but also hope,
straight ahead with a straight horizon, and
perseverance, resilience and brotherhood.
to always use an aperture value between 8 and 13, depending on the light, to achieve
This book is based on six continents, but we
a high depth of field in all photos. I tried to
divided Asia into two parts to maintain equal
maintain the same ISO as much as I could,
chapters. I added Australia to Oceania. Each
around 200. This approach reappears in the
of the continents has its own colour and
Streets of the World logo, which has the
calligraphy.
horizon in the middle as do the photos, but
At the time of printing three
countries remain that I still want to add to the
also symbolises a street.
project: Yemen, Libya and Equatorial Guinea. For various reasons I couldn’t include them
About the infographics
now, but they will eventually also become
The infographics in this book have been
part of ‘Streets of the World’.
selected based on fact and trivia, but may and will become outdated because of constantly
For one reason or other, which I will explain in
changing situations in the world. I thought
the text, some of the photos in this book were
it would be nice to mix general information
not taken in the official capitals. The texts
with fun facts about the countries to enhance
that accompany the pictures are my personal
the travel and educational experience of
opinions and observations about these places.
the book. The infographics are divided into
I do realise they can differ greatly from
several
other opinions and views, but this is what I
Literacy rate, Religion, Languages, Street
encountered and wished to share.
Food and Facts.
categories:
Geography,
Capital,
Please feel free to react at: connect@streetsoftheworld.com
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CONTINENTS VISITED
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CONTINENTS/ CHAPTERS
EASTERN ASIA
OCEANIA
WESTERN ASIA
SOUTH AMERICA
PAGE 14
PAGE 66
PAGE 98
PAGE 152
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NORTH AMERICA
EUROPE
AFRICA
PAGE 180
PAGE 232
PAGE 320
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THE STREETS OF EASTERN ASIA
B A N G L A D E S H // D H A K A // 2 3 ° 4 8 ' N - 9 0 ° 2 4 ' E
S I N G A P O R E // S I N G A P O R E // 1 ° 2 1 ' N - 1 0 3 ° 5 2 ' E
B H U T A N // T H I M P H U // 2 7 ° 2 8 ' N - 8 9 ° 3 8 ' E
S O U T H K O R E A // S E O U L // 3 7 ° 3 3 ' N - 1 2 6 ° 5 8 ' E
B R U N E I D A R U S S A L A M // B A N D A R S E R I B E G A W A N //
S R I L A N K A // C O L O M B O // 6 ° 5 5 ' N - 7 9 ° 5 1 ' E
4°54'N-114°56'E
T A I W A N // T A I P E I // 2 5 ° 1 ' N - 1 2 1 ° 3 3 ' E
C A M B O D I A // P H N O M P E N H // 1 1 ° 3 2 ' N - 1 0 4 ° 5 3 ' E
T H A I L A N D // B A N G K O K // 1 3 ° 4 5 ' N - 1 0 0 ° 3 0 ' E
C H I N A // B E I J I N G // 3 9 ° 5 4 ' N - 1 1 6 ° 2 4 ' E
T I B E T // L H A S A // 2 9 ° 3 9 ' N - 9 1 ° 1 0 ' E
I N D I A // N E W D E L H I // 2 8 ° 3 6 ' N - 7 7 ° 1 2 ' E
E A S T T I M O R // D I L I // 8 ° 3 3 ' S - 1 2 5 ° 3 3 ' E
I N D O N E S I A // J A K A R T A // 6 ° 1 2 ' S - 1 0 6 ° 5 0 ' E
V I E T N A M // H A N O I // 2 1 ° 1 ' N - 1 0 5 ° 5 0 ' E
J A P A N // T O K Y O // 3 5 ° 4 1 ' N - 1 3 9 ° 4 1 ' E L A O S // V I E N T I A N E // 1 7 ° 5 8 ' N - 1 0 2 ° 3 7 ' E M A L A Y S I A // K U A L A L U M P U R // 3 ° 8 ' N - 1 0 1 ° 4 1 ' E M A L D I V E S // M A L E // 4 ° 1 0 ' N - 7 3 ° 3 0 ' E M O N G O L I A // U L A A N B A A T A R // 4 7 ° 5 3 ' N - 1 0 6 ° 5 4 ' E M Y A N M A R // Y A N G O N // 1 6 ° 5 1 ' N - 9 6 ° 1 1 ' E N E P A L // K A T H M A N D U // 2 7 ° 4 3 ' N - 8 5 ° 1 9 ' E N O R T H K O R E A // P Y O N G Y A N G // 3 9 ° 2 ' N - 1 2 5 ° 4 5 ' E P H I L I P P I N E S // M A N I L A // 1 4 ° 3 5 ' N - 1 2 0 ° 5 9 ' E
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B A N G L A D E S H // D H A K A // 23°48'N-90°24'E 037 / 23-06-2010
WHY? Badly
designed
container
homes
where too many people are squeezed in. Their main diversion is soccer. The flags of Argentina and Brazil hang outside during the World Cup. So many were watching the matches on TV that power stations broke down. Talk about real fans!
WHAT? Unfortunately, the two (half) naked children are forced to beg at a very young age. Sadly, not many people seem
to
care.
These
things
are
difficult to see and to photograph, but a reality too. Still, the city is on the move and bursting with energy, literally
and
mentally,
working
towards a better future.
LITERACY RATE
C A P I TA L
Dhaka
61.5%
RELIGION
L A N G UA G E S
83%
Islam
1% Other
Bengali (83%), English (16%)
16% HINDU
STREET FOOD
ETHNICITY
5%
Other Vuna Khichuri: a dish of rice, split lentils and spiced chicken or beef, is a popular street food in 'The Rickshaw Capital of the World'
95%
Bengali
Bangladeshis are mad about cricket. Dhaka is home to the national stadium and many of the country's top stars. Cricket is played everywhere: alleyways, parks, roads and even rooftops.
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B H U T A N // T H I M P H U // 27°28'N-89°38'E 180 / 04-09-2015
WHY? Mountains wherever you look, for those in search of total isolation. The king is the absolute chief in this mountain nation, where only a limited number of tourists may visit. But those who do influence the new generations to become a little more modern, in this sober but beautiful Buddhist society.
WHAT? The only country with a Ministry of Happiness. But who decides what the definition of being happy is? These senior Bhutanese are not yet ready to connect with the youngsters in their trendy clothes. But the youngsters seem to be ready for a new age that’s more connected to the ‘outside world’.
LITERACY RATE
C A P I TA L
Thimphu
69.5%
RELIGION
L A N G UA G E S
75%
Lamaistic Buddhist
25% Hindu
STREET FOOD
Ema Datshi: a stew of green, yellow or red chilies, yak’s milk cheese, onions and tomatoes, served with red rice, is Thimphu’s most popular street dish
Bhutanese (Dzongkha), Tshanglakha, Khenkha, Lhotsamkha FACTS
Bhutan was the last country in the world to legalize television broadcasting (1999)
Thimphu is the only capital in the world where traffic lights are non-existent. A single set had been installed previously, but the residents protested against it so much that not long after, the lights were taken down and the good old traffic police officer was back.
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