Wednesday July 8, 2009, Islamabad, North Punjab, Pakistan

Inside Pakistan's Islamic schools

Abdul Manaam, an ethnic Pashtun from Pakistan's North West Frontier province, along with about 30 boys, ranging in age from 13 to 20, attend the Jamba Erabia Madrasa on the outskirts of Islamabad. Madrasa students go through a 2 to 3 year program, organized around a 4am to 11pm schedule of prayer and memorization of the Koran. The main courtyard and mosque were built in 1979, with private money from locals and influential Pakistanis. The Saudis are known to have poured in millions into Pakistan in order to keep it a strong Muslim nation.

Abdul Manaam (C) trying to memorize the Koran during a three hour session

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Monday August 13, 2007

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Wednesday February 18, 2009, North East Of Jijiga, Ogadenia, Eastern Ethiopia

An ONLF trooper is taking a pause after regrouping with fellow soldiers and officers on top of a hill. The war in Ogadenia has increased in intensity and violance in recent months, between government forces and rebels.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Wednesday June 24, 2009, Mardan, Sarhad, Pakistan

SHEICK SHAZAD CAMP: A group of young Pashtun refugee girls are listening to their teacher during a reading session, June 24th 2009, in Pakistan. The schooling is provided by the Pakistani government who has been trying to educate these young Pashtun to become good citizens and not potential fighters.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Saturday March 15, 2008, Beijing, Beijing Municipalities, China

A view of the Pan Asian stadium and the giant Panda, the sign of China's force. These buildings will be restored for this summer's Olympics.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Thursday November 13, 2003, Kinsiona, Equateur province, Congo

A 14 year old girl going through an exorcist ceremony after being accused of possessing demons. She is the first of four kids from the same family accused of sorcery to go through the exorcist ceremony.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Friday June 6, 2008, New York City, New York, USA

Scott Schuman is shooting a local model near Union Square. Scott Schuman locate and photographs locals who have interesting clothes, to fill his blog with hundreds of these shots for international fashion designers to see and copy.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Friday June 6, 2008, New York City, New York, USA

The Sartorialist Scott Schuman

Scott Schuman (aka the Sartorialist) is shooting a young local designer on the streets of Soho. Scott Schuman locates and photographs people who have interesting clothes, to fill his blog with hundreds of these shots for international fashion designers to see and copy.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Thursday October 19, 2006, Sanhaskule, Eastern Ogadenia, Eastern Ethiopia

A group of local women are gathering to start their chanting with the rebels. The bond between the rebels and the population is very strong, and the more the government tries to enforce their rule, the more the locals feel attached to the struggle.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Wednesday July 8, 2009, Islamabad, North Punjab, Pakistan

Inside Pakistan's Islamic schools

Abdul Manaam, an ethnic Pashtun from Pakistan's North West Frontier province, along with about 30 boys, ranging in age from 13 to 20, attend the Jamba Erabia Madrasa on the outskirts of Islamabad. Madrasa students go through a 2 to 3 year program, organized around a 4am to 11pm schedule of prayer and memorization of the Koran. The main courtyard and mosque were built in 1979, with private money from locals and influential Pakistanis. The Saudis are known to have poured in millions into Pakistan in order to keep it a strong Muslim nation.

A young student batting during a Cricket game

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Monday February 18, 2008, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Negotiators are looking at the new arrivals inside the restricted area of the Tokyo great fish market. Each 2000 tons of fish is brought out of the ocean to be sold in this market. These fishes are priced and tagged to identify their quality.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Friday February 3, 2006, Kenya

SOUTH OF ETHIOPIAN BORDER, CENTRAL NORTHERN KENYA - An OLF soldier carrying a light machine gun is resting after a forced march of over 400 kilometers long. OLF fighting in Southern Ehtiopia often regroup and retreat into Kenya where the Ehtiopian are more hesitant to look for them.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Friday January 12, 2007, Kinshasa, Congo

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Monday October 26, 2009

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Monday November 14, 2005, Siliguri, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal

Puja Lama and her 17 year old cousin are negociating price with a Western client. They will ask for more money to foreigners, sometimes as much at 3000 Indian Rupees.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Monday August 13, 2007

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Thursday August 14, 2008, Gori, Shida Karti, Georgia

Russian troops mounted on a APC is entering the town of Gori. The Russians used a security pretext to occupy the town.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Tuesday July 7, 2009, Islamabad, North Punjab, Pakistan

Inside Pakistan's Islamic schools

Abdul Manaam, an ethnic Pashtun from Pakistan's North West Frontier province, along with about 30 boys, ranging in age from 13 to 20, attend the Jamba Erabia Madrasa on the outskirts of Islamabad. Madrasa students go through a 2 to 3 year program, organized around a 4am to 11pm schedule of prayer and memorization of the Koran. The main courtyard and mosque were built in 1979, with private money from locals and influential Pakistanis. The Saudis are known to have poured in millions into Pakistan in order to keep it a strong Muslim nation.

A local man sleeping in front of the mosque, waiting for the start of prayer.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Friday June 6, 2008, New York City, New York, USA

The Sartorialist Scott Schuman

A newly found Australia model is posing for Scott Schuman in Union Square, on June 6th, 2008 in the US. Scott Schuman locates and photographs locals who have interesting clothes, to fill his blog with hundreds of these shots for international fashion designers to see and copy.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Thursday August 14, 2008, Gori, Shida Karti, Georgia

A family is mourning the death of one of them who died during the bombings. It is a tradition to have a wake for a few days after the death of the person.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Friday February 20, 2009, East Of Jijiga, Ogadenia, Eastern Ethiopia

A young Ogaden is exiting the family tent in a small nomadic village 40 miles from any towns. His father, like all men in that small community were either killed or imprisoned by government forces.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Sunday May 25, 2008, Beijing, Beijing Municipalities, China

Zhen is concentrating on her Braille reading, on March 8th, 2008 in China. It took her many months to learn how to read Braille, an investment all paid for by Golden Key and private donations.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Friday January 12, 2007, Kinshasa, Congo

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Wednesday October 4, 2006, Near Jijiga, Eastern Ogadenia, Ethiopia

A member of the ONLF rebellion army is leading the prayer after a fourth day spent on top of a hill surrounded by enemy troops. Even though Islam is a predominant part of their custom, the Ogadens are considered moderate Muslims, and are fighting for independence, not religion.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Monday November 14, 2005, Siliguri, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal

Puja Lama is getting ready to satisfy her client. Puja supports her family, which includes two younger brothers and her cousin.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Saturday November 19, 2005, Tila, Rolpa district, Nepal

A full platoon of PLA are practicing weapon drills. A PLA section very much resembles a regular army unit. It is also formed with 35 to 40 men to make a platoon. Male and female are mixed together in the same units, and some commanders are female as well.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Friday July 11, 2008, Le Havre, Haute Normandie, France

The ship captain, a Dutch officer, is using a zodiac making sure it works before leaving port. The 186 meter long ship is being filled with NAFTA for the US market.

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Tuesday November 10, 2009

Credit: Jonathan Alpeyrie / Polaris

Jonathan Alpeyrie

Jonathan Alpeyrie was born in France and has been living in New York since July 1993.

His photography career started in 1996 when he decided to photograph ancient Roman sites all around the Mediterranean Sea, then traveled to various sites in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. He photographed the civil unrest in Panama in the summer of 2000 and from then on started covering stories in the US, Western Europe, Chiapas, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Congo, Ivory Coast, Syria, Lebanon, Georgia, Nepal, and Ethiopia.

In the past three years he has been concentrating on conflicts around the world, more specifically on the South Caucasus and in East Africa. His first major photo essay took place in the South Caucasus in April 2001. He then traveled to Armenia to document on Ex. Soviet heavy industrial cities and returned to South Caucasus in 2004 to photograph the ethnic problems through war and social tensions. He covered various wars in Karabakh, in the Ivory Coast with the French Foreign legion, in South Ossetia and documented on Chechen refugees living in the Pankisi gorge.

In 2005 he covered the war in Nepal, working with the Maoist rebels then with the Royal Nepalese army, as well as working on a human trafficking story. After covering the war in Congo and Ivory Coast in 2004, he decided to focus on Ethiopia and its military unrest, with Oromo rebels in early 2006 and the ONLF in October of the same year.

In 2008 he was in Beijing covering the life and hardships of Chinese migrant workers, then the war in Georgia on the Russian side. His work has appeared in publications such as Times (Europe), American Photo, The Traveler UK, Need magazine (US), Africa International, Le Figaro Madame, Glamour in France and Spain, Aftenposten in Norway as well as a dozen Western European magazines.

He won two fourth places for Black and White in the University of Chicago/National Geographic magazine photo contest; and Best War Photo of the Year in American Photo magazine. He is about to publish a book on a project he has been working on for 5 years about WWII veterans from all over the world.