Sakina, Sandesh and their buddies live in tents on waste grounds. They are children of
itinerant families who come from the Tarai plains and wander in the central valleys of
Nepal, between urban and rural areas. Every day, these little nomads are left to
themselves in the camp, unprotected, while their parents seek means of survival in the
cities. They have no schooling and hang around aimlessly, torn between the joys and the
limits of their freedom. The camp surroundings are for them a playground, a place for
explorations but also for boredom. Brave and big-hearted, they are remarkably resourceful.
They make games out of nothing and support each other through the good and the bad times.
By nightfall, they wait eagerly for their parents, who return with relief.
For three years, I have followed the path of these families in seven successive camps.
After the earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, I visited them again. Although some
children and adults got injured and went to hospital, all survived the earthquake and its
aftershocks. However, their life of vagrancy has become more fragile than ever.
Before getting into photography, Didier worked for many years with refugees, homeless and victims of trauma. His professional path, as an anthropologist and a psychologist, led him to conduct researches in the Himalayan regions where he decided to remain. Since 2009, he lives in Nepal and acts as volunteer within a local group to bring support to landless families living on the margins of Nepalese society. His immersion in the slums, the dumps and the nomadic camps made him choose to dedicate himself to photography and in particular to long-term documentaries, with a focus on social issues that remain little-known. After having documented the daily life of an itinerant group, he spent most of the year 2015 among remote families affected by the Nepal earthquake.
Awards PX3 - Prix de la photographie Paris 2014
2nd prize. Portraiture Family
3rd prize. Portraiture Culture
3rd prize. Portraiture Culture
3rd prize. Portraiture Children
3rd prize. Portraiture Children
3rd prize. Portraiture Family
3rd prize. Portraiture Other
Les Photographies de l'Année 2014
2nd place. Humanist Category
PX3 - Prix de la photographie Paris 2013
People's Choice
1st prize. Feature Story Category
1st prize. General News Category
1st prize. Children Category
3rd prize. Portraiture Category
3rd prize. Feature Story Category
Les Photographies de l'Année 2013
2nd place. Humanist Category
3rd place. Portrait Category
IPA - International Photography Awards 2013
3rd place. Country Pick
