This was written in 2005 as the Foreword for my book "Archive".

The Eiffell Tower, a spectacular national monument often glorified in images, becomes an everyday backdrop for those who pass by it every day. It is images which transform, rather than reinforce, our preconceptions which have the greatest impact upon us.

I have been privileged to visit so many places over the last 20 years, but more so to have shared time, food and conversation with so many fascinating people.

From those encounters I have learnt that there is a commonality between us all, despite our circumstances, that is easily forgotten and rarely mentioned. An average family conversation over breakfast in a remote village in Sierra Leone will normally be no different to one held over breakfast in High Wycombe. It will be about the day ahead, organising meetings with friends and family, discussing school or what work the day has in store.

Despite the emotive images we consume on a daily basis through our television sets and newspapers, for the most part the poorest people simply ‘get on with life’: they do not spend every waking hour begging for help and bemoaning their situation.

We have become accustomed to a grossly simplified impression of poverty, which tells us that we hold the answers in our pockets. Packaged as entertainment, I wonder if such simplifications serve to reinforce preconceptions and maintain a status quo which
ultimately harms, rather than helps, the poor.

Released from the burdens of unsustainable debt and unfair trade restrictions, dependence on charity and foreign aid could diminish, a context for better governance would be created, and great strides forward could be made. Making that happen is an enormous and daunting challenge, but it is achievable.

In the meantime, poverty itself forms the monumental backdrop passed by every day by the poor. In that context it is their resilience, resourcefulness and dignity that inspires the most. It is my hope that more than a glimpse of that dignity is conveyed in these pages.

The images are not presented in chronological order. Instead, I have ordered and juxtaposed them to provoke different responses from the viewer than would likely be made were the images to be seen in isolation.

As a result, there is a broad narrative to the book, and within that are a number of smaller themes. I am also hopeful that each individual image speaks for itself, and so the only text I feel necessary is a brief explanatory caption on each page.

Mark Howard, February 2005