Thursday, June 30, 2016

Inside the Philippines' cemetery slum...

New Zealand photographer Danial Eriksen traveled 8,000 kilometers [5,000 miles] to photograph Smokey Mountain—a Filipino landfill that houses thousands of people. But once he started snapping pictures, government officials immediately sent him away.

With no back up plan, Danial headed to a nearby island, where he heard about the Cemeterio Del Norte, a graveyard previously explored by VICE Japan. The twist of the story? The graveyard is inhabited by people who pull bones from tombs to build "apartments." It's an entire slum community, populated by gang members, runaways, sex workers, and laborers who rank among the poorest of the world's poor.

In the midst of Manila's critical housing shortage, the cemetery has become a safe haven for many families seeking refuge from the streets. It's a crazy situation when living between rubbish and human remains seems like the better option.

For a week, Danial lived in Cemeterio Del Norte and befriended the locals. He watched women string washing lines between mausoleums, played cards with the elders, and watched cockfights with local families. Finally on the last day of his stay, he pulled out his camera. VICE spoke to Danial to hear what it's like to live among the dead. More + photos...

Related posts:
  1. Philippines cemetery provides Manila's poor a place to live among the dead...
  2. New York couple living in cemetery for 13 years...
  3. Five children in India forced to live in graveyard after parents die of AIDS...
  4. Millions of Egyptians live in cemeteries...
  5. Sex offender stole items from cemetery ... and gave them out as gifts!!!
  6. Spanish cemetery warns of evictions for non-paying "tenants!"
  7. Don't have sex in a cemetery; the dead may not like being disurbed!!!
  8. No room for the dead in Singapore...

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