concrete thoughts

Elona wrote this piece for Open Democracy ‘Transformation’ project series on care, 29 October 2019 – with thanks to the editors for the invitation to contribute, you can see the original publication on their website. In a re-converted industrial building in East London, a regular session of ‘Community Massage’ is taking place. A friend tells…

On the road from Sihanoukville, 21 September 2016 It is nearly 6pm as we drive northbound. Emerging from in-between Chuŏr Phnum Dâmrei, the Elephant Mountains, we enter the flood plains of Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. In the distance, dark clouds are slowly creeping up from behind the mountains, taking the place of the setting sun.…

Read the English version here El portero apila las cajas de cartón en el carro de su triciclo de una manera casi científica. Lo observo callado mientras él, meticulosamente, agarra las cajas una tras otra, les saca esa cinta adhesiva marrón que las hace caja, y las transforma en cartones que al toque aplana apretándo…

Lee la versión en español acá I watch in silence as the caretaker piles up cardboard on his three-wheeled bicycle cart. Methodically, one after another, he rips the tape off the boxes and flattens them against his chest with his bare hands. Guō Tāo is 50 years old, but looks much older. Perhaps it’s the…

これはぼくらの叫びです Kore wa bokura no sakebi desu, これは私たちの祈りです koreha wa watashitachi no inoridesu 世界に平和をきずくための Sekai ni heiwa o kizuku tame no. Este es nuestro llanto, esta es nuestra plegaria: Para construir paz en el mundo. El primer grupo de chicos se pone de pie y camina hasta donde está la estatua. Son unos quince y,…

A traveller’s insights into the challenges of urbanization in Ulaanbaatar and Mongolia’s political economy. We are sat at Chuka’s desk while she adds up numbers on a large notebook: we are investigating options for a short tour during our second week in Mongolia, now that we have our visas for China. ‘It depends how far…