TITLE: The iron quest

This series tells the story of a group of young people working in a ship graveyard in Angola. They have to dive hundreds of times when the tide is low. They grope the bottom with their hands as the dark waters with sediments and oil don't allow them to see anything underwater. After removing pieces weighing hundreds of pounds using only their hands and the strength of their arms, they have to carry them to the beach, struggling with the waves and the currents of the sea. From an early age, they learned to deal with and respect the sea. It's the sea that dictates when and how they can work to earn a measly 120 dollars for each ton of iron. They and their families depend on it to survive, one day at a time.

AUTHOR: João Coelho (Portugal)

I was born in Angola, but the war of independence in that country forced my family to restart their lives in Portugal in the mid-70s, where I graduated in Law, developed an important part of my professional career in law and banking, and where I took my first steps into the world of photography. In 2007, responding to a strong call from my homeland, I returned to Angola where I am still living and working on auditing and consulting projects focused on the modernization and institutional development of the public sector. The demands of my professional activity and perhaps some fear of photographing in an unsafe environment have led me, unfortunately, to turn my back to photography for quite some time. The rediscovery of that passion as I realized the variety of motives that surrounded me and the gradual release of the fears that blocked me was an extremely enriching and rewarding process. Today, whether telling stories through photography, doing curation in some groups and websites, or simply sharing experiences and achievements with a fantastic community of colleagues and friends, photography is an essential dimension in my life as a form of personal fulfillment and inspiration. My photographic work has also had the merit of shaping my way of being, having radically transformed the way I position myself in the world and how I look at everything around me. Today, after having looked into the eyes of survival and resilience, I am a simpler person, more restrained in my aspirations, and I value more the little things and the small attitudes and gestures that can change the world