I visited the world’s newest nation, about ten months after independence. South Sudan presented an image of euphoria to the outside world, but inwardly was in turmoil, fighting actual conflicts on several fronts internally and externally, and battling an imploding economy, skyrocketing urban crime, and a growing sense of despair and desperation over the fragile context. It was a fascinating insight into dynamics out there, and although my trip was brief I relished in it.
One night I step out of my room and caught sight of the full moon in the haze, surrounded by a halo refracting a dim rainbow- a moonbow, actually. It was quite the sight.
I didn’t have my tripod, so I took these photos hand-held at the 16mm end of my Canon 5D, with the ISO ramped to 1600. The effect is grainy, and not quite as sharp- or as colourful- as I would have liked to reflect the real thing. However it was such a beautiful image, I’m glad I managed to capture even a faint facsimile of it here.
