8 March – 3 April 2010

“I take on issues that stir my passions about the state of humanity and our world, and I deeply believe in the power of still images to change people’s minds. I’m driven by this fact; that the work of photojournalists and documentary photographers can have a positive impact on the world. The access people give to their lives is precious as well as imperative for this important work to get done. Their openness brings with it a tremendous sense of responsibility to tell the truth but to also honor their stories.” 

HOST Gallery is pleased to announce Curse of the Black Gold, an exhibition by photographer Ed Kashi. The exhibition of photography documents the consequences of a half-century of oil exploration in a region that holds Africa’s largest oil reserves, but offers a stark example of the perils of resource abundance. Kashi’s images capture local leaders, militants, oil workers and villagers living in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

The photo exhibit will feature information on the Bayelsa Expenditure and Income Transparency Initiative, (BEITI), an innovative partnership between state government, citizens and energy companies in local governance of the extractive sector. RWI advised the government in the design and launch of BEITI and directly supports civil society participation in this initiative. BEITI is part of a wider set of RWI programs, sponsored in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which seek to improve natural resource revenue management at the sub-national level.

Copies of the book, Curse of the Black Gold, are available on the Foto8 online shop

View Ed’s short film about oil in the Niger Delta.

Exhibition Partners:
Revenue Watch Institute
LSE Ideas – Africa International Affairs

About Ed Kashi
Ed Kashi was born in New York City and received a degree in photojournalism from Syracuse University. Kashi’s first major documentary project, a study of the Protestant community in Northern Ireland, garnered him a NEA grant. His book, When The Borders Bleed: The Struggle of the Kurds was the result of his cover story for National Geographic. Kashi has received numerous awards, including the World Press and Pictures of the Year competitions. The author of Aging in America: The Years Ahead (powerHouse Books, 2003), Kashi has also published his work in National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, Time, Fortune, Geo and Newsweek among others. Kashi lives in New Jersey.

Friday 12 March – Revenue Watch Institute panel at HOST Gallery with Paul Collier, Ed Kashi and Dauda Garuba, 5-8pm