Sandbox Island, a photo from Sabah, East

Photographer's Note

What do you do, if you can't go to school. Not that you can't afford to, or your parent doesn't care. But because you just can't. There are schools on the neighbouring islands and the nearest town,Semporna, is just 90 minutes away and its not that the town doesn't has any boarding schools.
But simply you just can't because you are borned into a stateless family. Stateless people can't go to school. No...I didn't make that up...someone much higher and powerful did.

So...what do you do? If you lived on a coconut grove white sandy island village, with the crystal green sea as your backyard, teeming with sea lives and under the hot tropical sun, you have fun. Its like Club Med but totally obscenely free. If you are an adult with mouths to feed, you probably like to worry but if you are a kid, now is a good time to have tonnes of fun and games, before that depressing clouds of adulthood come looming over.

These Sea Bajau children don't attend school or any things like you have planned for your children. No piano/violin/language class, no afterclass lessons,no future, no nothing. In fact, they are so educatedly challenged that your first year school going child can go through his Disney storybooks and any of these older children here, would not know how to read one. Let alone writing his own name.

Its fun being a child with no education. Wait till its time to feed someone else other than yours. Suddenly you realized, it is a lot easier being a pirate or sea hijacker. Guess what mum...no papers required.

arnabchat, postvikram, padeg, oochappan, burcuacikalin, nwoehnl, carper, sengir, Ina, kevinos, chaity, tribalimages, jiekuan, thaprem, avigur_11, markoci, RGatward, rozy975, danielh, dvlazar, gelor, klyee75, berseph, Vincent_R, tzourob, wautersw, mikele_pl, euryan, mariposa ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

gelor (3233) 2006-07-04 4:48

Bonjour Rabani,
Quelle belle collection d'enfants et d'étoiles de mer ! Bien vu ! Merci
Gérard

padeg (423) 2006-07-04 4:53

Thank you for the fun picture and the good note. I especially like the minuscule guy fishing in the background !
Good day,
Pascal.

arnabchat (7233) 2006-07-04 4:55

wonderful shot. great take with kids enjoying the fine weather. and not to mention the great note.

postvikram (1199) 2006-07-04 5:06

Hello Rabani,
This is awesome. Excellent clarity. Very good details to look at. And yes a very good note to accompany too.
Every kid is sporting the star fish in a different way.Its so nice to see them in this peaceful state , I notice the hands of the kids too one of them shoing 3 and an other showing peace, and the little one being helped with a starfish in his hand.
Very nice. VIkram

Xplorator (667) 2006-07-04 5:25

Amazing perspective of life, great story, pretty touching! Wish I grew up a pirate like Sandokan, tiger of Malaysia!

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2006-07-04 5:31

Excellent note. Very touching and amusing at the same time.
For the photo, it is very nice with good colors, POV and very happy and proud kids.
Antonio

mzmehr (918) 2006-07-04 5:38

Realy intresting Rabina,, the smaller one in righ is very cute. I like him.
Thanks for sharing.

Mohammad

oochappan (4880) 2006-07-04 6:24

Great this enthousiastic group of children with these starfishes, so well color contrasted towards the blues of sea and cloudy sky.
A very pleasant and pleasing capture Rabani.
greetings
Henk

burcuacikalin (131) 2006-07-04 8:30

Hello
Great colourful photo and very good note..Well done..
Regards
Burcu

wkshelton (0) 2006-07-04 10:05

Hello Rabani, excllent details, Great colors, BG,POv just excllent needs to be 5* great Job, TFS Kyle

nwoehnl (122) 2006-07-04 12:36

Beautiful and enchanting group portrait of the kids, Bani. Nice poses, vivid expressions, and impressive seaside setting. A good joyful photo for me to watch at the end of a working day, thanks.

carper (96) 2006-07-04 12:41

nice school shot Rabani old friend.
Nice to see tour photo again, a very nice one with children who have pleasure in life, good photo, good job.
gr. jaap

Ina (2687) 2006-07-04 12:53

A lovely picture so filled with happines... Glad the kids can't read your note... But at the same time sad... They would be better helped with some day at school...

TFS... Ina...

kinginexile (2598) 2006-07-04 13:02

Wonderful, ebullient shot, Rabani, certainly can cheer anyone up, and I too like the fisherman, way back, taking care of that part of the frame. As usual, i disagree totally with the use of the image by the photographer itself for extraneous editorializing. It is here, contradictory to the act of photography, as if we were not to trust what we see, and you have to tell us what. A bit patronizing, though i know you did not mean it that way.

kevinos (7517) 2006-07-04 14:32

Yes, a great capture Rabani, full of color and human interest! The children are great sharp and the pattern of stars adds a fun, festive feeling to the picture. A very informative note too!

AmiBe (6042) 2006-07-04 16:59

Hi Rabani,
lovely shot !
The stars are fantastic !
Excellent colors... It's really funny ! ;-)
Well done

chaity (1539) 2006-07-04 21:30

Hi Rabani, I like the colors and clarity of this photo. I have never seen such a big starfish before. Perhaps there's an indication with the guy in a boat passing by ?
Thanks for the notes to add more facts that are unknown to me. Without proper education, I guess they will probably carry out the traditions and work from their parents. Worse if they become what you mentioned in the last paragraph.

tribalimages (51) 2006-07-05 0:05

Hello Rabini,

a great photo - captures the moment and character of the children beautifully. Very much enjoyed your social commentary - even if a bit saddened by it ... the irony of life!

avigur_11 (22553) 2006-07-06 20:12

Dear Rabani,
This is the happiest shot I saw in TE lately, and I thank you very much for it, it really makes me smile. It will go directely to my fave list!!
It is also very well captured, with the amazing colors of the water, the sky and the boys, the well used sunlight and theclear detalis of the stars. Really a great one. Thanks.

markoci (3933) 2006-07-07 4:04

strong social commentary indeed.. ironic how a star in school represents excellence.. can you elaborate on "stateless"? are they refugees? how come they're not entitled to an education?

you really did get close up :-) hope your camera is safe...

cheers,
mark

thaprem (2566) 2006-07-07 9:13

A finely done colour ful image!...Particularly the way the light is managed!!.
A fitting presentation for a fitting presentation.
Cheers,
Prem.

jiekuan (332) 2006-07-09 20:22

Very sharp and clear picture, and meaningful description given.

Great work! you captured their innocent expression. This picture and description should be posted to States Paper.

RGatward (20108) 2006-07-11 3:43

Great shot of these happy looking kids, and a fascinating note. Well, I have a pretty good idea about the way education operates in Malaysia, and the problems faced by some of these people, but the connection between that and the endemic piracy in the region is something I hadn't put together before.

Caressa (2) 2006-07-11 6:42

Another excellent photo. I become frustrated when I see these children be it in the streets of KK or anywhere, they can't go to school. It's a vicious circle. I just don't understand why the government does not see that if you educate these children, they will become better and productive persons, they will not see life as a struggle all the time, they will use knowledge rather than physical strength to earn a living. Alas, that will be the day.

rozy975 (3047) 2006-07-12 19:38

This is an excellent shot.
Joy of these children is really touching.
I love your vivid colors.
Well done!

veronika (6058) 2006-07-13 16:13

CRAZY joyful shot Rabani, i love it!!! :)
Big smile for this picture will come later :)
Vero

mingchiu (266) 2006-08-16 7:59

This is an amazing photo and you have an amazing write up on the deep sentiment that buried in this photo. I am thrilled not only with the sharp and expressionist capture of the joy and worryless joy of these children. For one moment the picture illustrates the joy and happiness the children of our motherland. The next moment of reading from your notation protrude a concern of the mind of the innocents. You are a master of photography in the true sense because your picture conveys a meaning that trembles the inactive inner mind of complacency. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts through this wonderful picture of joy.

feefee (0) 2006-10-07 6:44

Awe.. I always wanted to live that way, care free, no boundaries. But no.. i got school. Play Flute. Speak Spanish. Speak Japanese. so meany tasks to learn and do.

klyee75 (778) 2006-11-13 20:18

This is very impressive...excellent fun time for the kids...actually I've not seen a real starfish live...I'm not sure are those starfish alive or death...

I like this hot very much it cos it's so natural...wish I could be there there one day.

eversmile (11636) 2006-12-01 20:50

Probably my favorite among your many beautiful shots. Because of the starfish, which provided to me the first strong emotions, when I discovered the snorkelling, one year ago. Because of the complicity of these children with you. Because of the light, and of clear water, because of all these bright colors, and these splash of joy. Thank you for this enchanted vision. Marine

PS : I want to add that the sea is a great school too.

tzourob (195) 2007-06-13 7:23 [Comment]

Show Comment

wautersw (3647) 2007-08-13 1:54

Hi Rabani,

another excellent picture. I love the composition and the photo quality here. These Sea-stars (and the kids holding them) are amazing. TFS

Wolf

mikele_pl (2400) 2008-04-04 5:35

Hi Rabani,
this is just one of many your great photos. It seems like taken out of a giude book. Great composition.
Thanks for sharing
Michal

euryan (8442) 2008-04-04 11:09

This is one of the best group children shots I've seen. I really like how they are all holding up their starfish for the camera. It really makes for an interesting and unique photo. How did you dare go in the water with your camera? It really paid off.
Regards,
Ryan

samson (2250) 2009-08-24 9:07

great shot!

makes me want to be a kid all over again

nikolabf (20) 2010-05-15 11:56

Superb one.
Just perfect.

ccameraguy (383) 2011-05-11 16:39

A most terrific image with these happy children. May their future be more positive than the one indicated within your comments

hemant (108) 2011-06-05 2:21

Wow! freshness over flowing... thank you kids for making us part of your world through this photo :-) Kudos to Rabani.

mariposa (918) 2012-09-03 0:24

How different reality is from what we see in the pictures! Still, thanks for reminding me how fun photographing people can be. Perhaps, this is the most incredible photo of kids I have ever seen. Thanks for taking me there for a few minutes :)