The Golden Triangle

Words by Akintola Hanif
Images by Nema Etebar, Jamel Shabazz, and Akintola Hanif

In THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE, which marks HYCIDE's second anniversary, we’re taking it back to our roots—street photography. This issue is a collaboration between myself and photographers Nema Etebar and Jamel Shabazz, two of the men who are closest to me, and whose work I deeply admire.

THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE features Nema's work from India, Africa, and Philly and Jamel's classic photos from New York City, spanning from the 1970s to today. Many of my images are from Newark, HYCIDE's home base, while others are from Brooklyn, Atlanta, and Puerto Rico.

In “Gladiator School,’’ Jamel recounts his days as a corrections officer at Rikers Island in the 1980s. "Village of Widows,” Nema's photo essay on women survivors of the Rwandan genocide, shares the story of Libirata, who describes her children’s murder during the 100 Days War and her journey to escape death. My photo essay “New Hope,” on the local housing project New Hope Village, documents the rituals, respect and beauty of a people misunderstood.

The Golden Triangle is a place in Southeast Asia, known globally for its heroin production. But to locals, it's known for its rich history and culture. This serves as a metaphor for our work, but the title of this issue has other meanings as well.

We are three photojournalists from three different generations who work to bridge racial, psychological, and social divides. For us, the universal point of convergence is the camera, which forges our connection to the humanity of our subjects; who are often overlooked by the rest of the the world. We are connected as brothers in vision, with the same sense of purpose.

In closing, I’d like to thank you all—the readers—for keeping HYCIDE alive and reinforcing the value of this work with your support. To my team, I am eternally grateful for your selfless contributions to this ever-evolving effort.

Come join us on October 18th, 2013. 6-9pm at Aljra, a Center for Contemporary Art, as we celebrate our Second Anniversary with the release of THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE issue of HYCIDE. [more details on our facebook page]