Alessio PaduanoBorn in Naples in 1984, Alessio Paduano won a scholarship to study at Paris Diderot University for a year. In 2007, he worked for various Italian newspapers as a writer and photographer. In 2009, he graduated in sociology from Naples Federico II University after writing his thesis in journalism. That same year, he obtained in Italy his registration with the National Order of Journalists and his press card. In 2010, he studied photojournalism at the Naples Academy of Fine Arts. Some of his photographs have been exhibited throughout the world, including at Palazzo delle Arti di Napoli, Castel dell'Ovo, Bibbiena biennial and Photolux Festival (Italy), Visa pour l’image (France), Palm Springs Photo Festival (California, US), Historical Museum (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Tel Aviv Photo Fair (Israel), and ICA Space (Japan). Major national and international newspapers and magazines have published some of his shots. These periodicals include Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Stern, Der Spiegel, El País, Le Monde, Paris Match, Newsweek, The Guardian, Internazionale and La Stampa. His photographs have also been used by television channels, including CNN, the BBC and Bloomberg. His work has earned him multiple awards including: Krzysztof Miller Prize (2021), the Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award (2021), Picture of the Year (2019), the Siena International Photo Awards (2019).
When the earthquake struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023, Alessio Paduano was there on the ground, during a disaster that was essentially a cross-border catastrophe in a geopolitically sensitive region. He brought back these powerful, masterfully taken photographs which not only reveal the earthquake’s impact but also capture the rescue workers’ efforts and the distress of survivors. The result is that we get to look back at events now absent from the media but whose shockwaves are still felt today – albeit it metaphorically, although who knows when the earth might start shaking again. After all, keeping memories alive is the purpose of photography too.
A general view of the “Langue de Barbarie” in Saint-Louis, Senegal on 14 December 2023. The “Langue de Barbarie” is a thin, sandy peninsula located in western Senegal, where around 80,000 people live and is among the places most threatened by the rise in sea levels generated by climate change. The peninsula separates the Atlantic Ocean from the final section of the Senegal river.
We discovered Alessio Paduano’s work last year through his photo-reportage from Turkey in the wake of the earthquake that hit the border area with Syria on 6 February 2023.[1]Alessio Paduano (with an article of Sophie Alary), “When the earth quakes », Humanitarian Alternatives, n° 23, July 2023, pp. 114–135, … Continue reading This reportage recently scooped the 2024 Kolga Tbilisi Photo award for best reportage.
Born in Naples in 1984, Alessio Paduano won a scholarship to study at Paris Diderot University for a year. In 2007, he worked for various Italian newspapers as a writer and photographer. In 2009, he graduated in sociology from Naples Federico II University after writing his thesis in journalism. That same year, he obtained in Italy his registration with the National Order of Journalists and his press card. In 2010, he studied photojournalism at the Naples Academy of Fine Arts. Some of his photographs have been exhibited throughout the world, including at Palazzo delle Arti di Napoli, Castel dell’Ovo, Bibbiena biennial and Photolux Festival (Italy), Visa pour l’image (France), Palm Springs Photo Festival (California, US), Historical Museum (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Tel Aviv Photo Fair (Israel), and ICA Space (Japan). Major national and international newspapers and magazines have published some of his shots. These periodicals include Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Stern, Der Spiegel, El País, Le Monde, Paris Match, Newsweek, The Guardian, Internazionale and La Stampa. His photographs have also been used by television channels, including CNN, the BBC and Bloomberg. His work has earned him multiple awards including: Krzysztof Miller Prize (2021), the Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award (2021), Picture of the Year (2019), the Siena International Photo Awards (2019).
Alessio Paduano’s new report takes us to Senegal where the rise in sea levels generated by climate change (global warming and melting of glaciers) is threatening the coasts of the country, destroying one house after another and putting at risk the population, 80% of which live near the sea. The situation is particularly serious in the cities of Bargny and Saint-Louis. In the latter, more than 1500 people were transferred to the temporary camps of Djougop and Khar Yalla in the hinterland.
Although most people try not to be discouraged, every year Senegal loses around five meters of coastline and the dangers for the population are growing more and more. According to experts, sea levels on the coast of West Africa will rise by up to 4 millimeters a year, forcing thousands of people to abandon their current homes.
The remains of a house destroyed by the sea waves in Rufisque, Senegal on 20 December 2023. The rise in sea levels generated by climate change (global warming and melting of glaciers) is threatening the coasts of Senegal, destroying one house after another and putting at risk the population, 80% of which live near the sea.A worker is seen inside the Cheick Tourè school in Saint-Louis, Senegal on 11 December 2023. In March 2018 the school was closed following a weather warning and only a few days later part of the structure was destroyed by sea waves. Today, work is underway for the definitive demolition of the building.A classroom of the Cheick Tourè school damaged by sea in Saint-Louis, Senegal on 11 December 2023.Wheels tied together and used as a barrier to stop the sea waves are seen on the beach of Bargny, Senegal on 16 December 2023.A hut, once a resting place for tourists, is submerged by the waters of Lac Rose (officially known as Lake Retba), a small naturalistic jewel located north-east of Dakar, Senegal on 18 December 2023. The environment of the lake is usually characterized by high salinity and the presence of unicellular algae called Dunaliella salina, which produce the characteristic reddish pigment. In recent months, however, torrential rains have pushed a large amount of water into the lake, tripling its usual depth and decreasing its salinity. The algae thus stopped producing colored pigments and the lake turned green. According to hydrologists, the continuous dilution with sediment-rich water could make both the salt and the microorganisms that make the lake pink disappear forever.A child and a cat are seen near some houses heavily damaged by the sea in Bargny, Senegal on 19 December 2023.People fill water containers inside the Djougop temporary camp for internally displaced people who lost their homes due to coastal erosion in Saint-Louis, Senegal on 13 December 2023. At Djougop temporary camp located seven miles inland people live in small tents without bathrooms and electricity. Toilets and taps for running water are shared.A girl with her face covered by a veil walks with water containers in her hands inside the Djougop temporary camp. Senegal on 13 December 2023.Women wash dishes and fill water containers inside the Djougop temporary camp for internally displaced people who lost their homes due to coastal erosion in Saint-Louis, Senegal on 13 December 2023.A young fisherman is seen on the beach of Saint-Louis, Senegal on 14 December 2023. Climate change also affects fishing, a key sector in Senegal which represents 3.2% of the country’s GDP (gross domestic product). The increase in water temperatures is having repercussions on marine ecosystems (changes in the migrations and habits of many fish species) which, in addition to the intensive fishing practiced by foreign fishing boats, is reducing the country’s fish resources. Furthermore, the advance of the sea is forcing many fishermen in Saint-Louis to leave their homes facing the sea and move inland: now to reach the sea and go fishing they have to face long and expensive journeys.
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