Sarhua and Morochuco for Pension 65

May 17, 2013 by Oscar Durand

This month I traveled to the town of Sarhua and Pampa Cangallo on assignment for Pension 65, a social program of the government for elderly living in extreme poverty. Besides the financial assistance they provide, the program is working to give recognition to ancestral traditions and knowledge.

Sarhua and Pampa Cangallo (located in the Morochucos area) are well known for their strong traditions such as dancing, singing and weaving. Sarhua is also famous for its tablas, wooden planks decorated with drawings representing life milestones. Originally they were given almost blank as gifts to newlyweds, placed into the rafters of the roof and as time passed, new drawings were added. Not many families follow this tradition anymore but the tablas de Sarhua are still made as an art form. Pampa Cangallo and surrounding areas have the tradition of the morochucos, skilled horsemen who have been dubbed the “cowboys of the Andes”.

Sarhua

Morochuco

Where I want to be

May 16, 2013 by Oscar Durand

Somewhere in Ayacucho

Mountains in Ayacucho, Peru in the Peruvian Andes by freelance photographer Oscar Durand

El Ayllu on NPR’s The Picture Show

May 7, 2013 by Oscar Durand

Inti Media’s photos of El Ayllu, a historic community in Callao, Peru, were featured last week in NPR’s The Picture Show. You can seen the post here.

Sarhua woman

May 5, 2013 by Oscar Durand

I am back home in Lima after spending 5 amazing days working in two small towns in the Ayacucho region of the Peruvian Andes. One of these towns was Sarhua, where this photo was taken, a place known for keeping its traditions very much alive.

Brazilians eager for pope’s visit

May 4, 2013 by Oscar Durand

Here is a video Elie and I recently produced in Brazil published by Catholic News Service. And you can see more of the work we did in Rio here.

Videos for G de Gestion

April 25, 2013 by Oscar Durand

Here in Lima I freelance for business magazine G de Gestion doing portraits and videos. Here is a selection of videos from the last few months:

Peru’s Economic Growth in Io Donna

March 26, 2013 by Oscar Durand

I recently worked on a story about Peru’s economic growth for Italian magazine Io Donna. You can see a slideshow here.

Building under construction

February 12, 2013 by Oscar Durand

Future Generations: Health in the Hands of Women

February 1, 2013 by Oscar Durand

Here is a video Elie and I shot for NGO Future Generations in Huanuco, Peru.

Future Generations: Health in the Hands of Women from Inti Media on Vimeo.

Orestes

January 31, 2013 by Oscar Durand

Walking around El Ayllu I ran into Orestes. He seemed to be having lots of fun playing by himself with a foosball table. I offered to play with him and he gave me a huge smile back that I took for a yes. As I put my hands on the handles I realized there were only three players left on the dusty table. I felt sad but didn’t say a thing about it and continued playing. It was one of the most entertaining foosball games ever. We tied 0-0.