Portraiture

Knowledge of self is a key to personal progress.  I find that recently I have come into knowing who I am as a photographer more than ever. I seek to document the faces of the voiceless, the eyes of the dispossessed, which so often show much more joy than pain.



 
This photo is of a school girl in a village outside of kigali Rwanda in June 2009.

missin Rwanda

Got a photobook in the works..  until thats finished just wanted to get a pic up from the Palau Festival Crowd and the city of Kigali in the background.

what football means to me (in HD)

check out this short video in full HD glory of Kwizera, the boys coach from Busanza as he speaks on what football means to his life.

a translation expert in kigali

Stephen Gatari was Play for Hope's translator in Kigali. He was sent to us by God..well

figuratively at least- Africa New Life Ministries, the activist church where we went to play with street kids every Monday, referred him to our group and he was such an asset to the team!

Not only assisting to preach to the hundreds of Rwandans crowding our clinics, he also went on national radio, in front of thousands of listeners. His english was amongtthe best around!

If you want to contact him for his services (his rates are the best around, seriously!) you can reach him by email at salig50@yahoo.com or by phone at (+250) 078 835 3283

Chillin with me at a bar next to the stadium sippin on some Fantas

Goofin off with a couple of the volunteers at the Kigali Hope Festival.

Check out this video from his radio interview

the play for hope tourney

The tourney @ amahoro stade was a smash success. Hundreds came out to support the 12 teams involved, and the kids played very well on the main stage of kigali's national stadium. Here's some of the highlight shots:

Kimisagara v. Rugunga Day 1

Day 1 opening match boys from Samuduha march around stadium

street boys from Busanza with Rwanda star striker Jimmy Gatete (in black), and Radio10's "DJ Shaka" (back left wearing button-up) on July 15, 2009

boys from Kanombe are psyched for their match on day 1! July 15, 2009

player from Gatenga scores against the u-20 boys from Kanombe

Coach Erasto from Kimisagara preps his team before the championship match vs Gatenga. July 16, 2009

POTD- June 20 Old woman and her brew

amidst shouts of muzungu i began walking through the town of Kabunga as we were putting on a football clinic in the field nearby. I bumped into this lady in town and she laughed when i asked her for a sip of what she was sippin on.. Whatever homemade concoction it was, it was definitely strong!

POTD June 19- Handball!

We walked to the national stadium after hearing that the Rwandan Nat'l football team would be playing Korea..turned out it there was no futbol to be found, but we did get a introduction to handball between Uganda and Tanzania.

It was exciting to watch, until the flagrant flopping just wouldnt stop..in the 2nd half we saw the stretcher brought out @ least 4 times...anyways, we still had a good time!

videos from Rwanda- 5dmk2

Here's the first preview of what vids I've been able to shoot here in Rwanda
heres some

Football Drills in Gatenga from Ryan Bowen on Vimeo.

Heres an impromptu worship session after putting on a soccer clinic...

Kids in Rwanda worship in Kinyarwandan from Ryan Bowen on Vimeo.

POTD: June 18th

'nuff said:

POTD: Missionary Position

I knew i had a cliché shot from the moment I pressed the shutter. Met this nice young woman from Colorado USA nearby the fields where we train soccer with some street kids.

I think its funny, my tribute to white missionaries in africa :)

Playin with the kids

Just wrapped day 3 of sports camps with play for hope..so far we've had over 100 kids a day show up. Many of the kids we're workin with are street children who don't go to school, so theres plenty of energy for them to get out.

Day 1: without a kinyarwandan speaker to guide us, we pantomimed the soccer drills. Over 100 children showed up, ages ranging from 4-18-ish



Day 2: miraculously with Serious, our Rwandan sports ministry guide, the camps moved flawlessly. We americans just stood by watching the fruit of our labor.


coach esteban leading the children from the field to go hear a message and lead a prayer.



Pastor Will from the Luis Palau Association leads the kids in a prayer after playing



this boy was too cute to pass up. He played on the side while we lead the older children in soccer passing and handling skills



a group getting their trainin on!


kids are LOOOOvin the camera.. this is one of many to come.