City Soleil : A Melody of Hope

• Prize
  Gold in People/Children
• Photographer
  Urim Hong
• Technical Info
  Leica M, 35mm, 1/125, F16, Iso 800
• Photo Date
  2020.2.28

City Soleil is a small village in Haiti. The UN left and the police stations crumbled into ruin. The gangs declared war and the people..they die in the midst of their relentless shoot-outs. The sound of gunfire had become a cruel melody in their ears. Last three years, a small voice in my heart grew louder and wilder: 'Can we talk about hope here?' That is when I heard the gentle whisper, a quiet but sweet melody. It was a melody that resonated through the impenetrable darkness—sound of children calling out for another day, that there will be a better tomorrow. It was indeed a melody of Hope.

Urim Hong is a photographer who searches for light in the isolated world. After majoring in the humanities as well as pedagogy, he taught children for a decade and, in that process, found himself called to photography. He majored in photography at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Currently, he is leading a project for the children and orphans in Citi Soleil, a small village within the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area in Haiti. He was selected as Editorial Photographer of the year at the 2018 IPA, 2019 MIFA and PDNedu Awards, 2020, 2022 IPA Documentary(Editorial) winner.