Goran Jovic – the eyes of the Occident to another perspective of happiness.
Goran is a photographer from Croatia. His work involves also being a reporter and cameraman. He is constantly traveling around the world, in search of something special – those life stories of indigenous people that need to be heard, that have something strong to say, that have something to teach us all.
www.goran-jovic.tumblr.com
D: Many of your pictures are taken in countries like Tanzania, Namibia, India, Indonesia, and others. How did you choose these destinations?
G: These destinations I chose because after many years I saw my school colleague, from primary school – she was wearing this African dress and hairstyles. I approached her, and I asked: – How are you? Where have you been for so many years, I haven’t seen you? And she said: – Well, I’m currently in Africa. I built an orphanage over there. I’m taking care of the kids. Long story short, I called her after a few days and asked when is she going over there again, and if she needed a photographer. She said she needed a photographer and that it would be great, that I could help them a lot. So, I went over there to volunteer for two weeks. These weeks had such a big impact for me that after 10 months I went there alone, to the same villages and I spent 30 days over there with the Maasai Tribe. The later, you know, people saw my work and some people have said maybe I should go there, check this, check that… I received stories about some people and areas over there, and this is how I choose my destinations – collecting stories around the Globe.
D: The work you do requires sacrifice since you often lose a lot of time on the way to your destinations. What made you stick to this decision?
G: What I do is not about the remote places, but more about chasing interesting stories. Of course I do photography in my country, but I am very attached and curious about the indigenous tribes with people who are living their lives like it was 150, 200 or 300 years ago. Basically nothing has changed in their life, they live with the basic conditions for life: no electricity, no internet, no nothing. I am amazed with that, namely how those people are so happy with so little. They have everything they need, and the way I see it, they are much happier than we are despite the lot of stuff and opportunities we have.
D: You are also involved in humanitarian aid missions. Can you tell us more about these? Who do you cooperate with? How do you find people that need your help?
G: Basically I cooperate with organizations. The one that I’ve been working for, approached me and I told them that if it’s achievable, because I have to balance between my work life and personal life and all this, but mainly I just need the flight tickets. Pay me the trip over there and I will do my best with photography, filming and sharing this to my social media so other people can see and the way they can. So, my thing is to share the message of people I take pictures of, their story and I connect people of both sides so they can connect and continue to do good things like paying the scholarship for children over there. I’m not the middleman, but I’m just the guy that shares the stories I have seen with people from my country, from other countries in Europe and other people in measure to help the people over there. This way, these people see with their own eyes that the people over there need help. Some of them ask me how they can help, and I give them the contact of the missionaries or organizations over there. So, through these missions I mostly connect people with my photography and videography.
D: Lately, the pictures themselves have become a source of news, a presentation of reality without words. Do you think that people manage to get the message you want to convey?
G: Mostly yes. If you take for example the instagram where there are a lot of people, and of course some of them are misunderstanding my message and are asking me some questions, like: did you pay for the photos. And I explain them how this works, that I am not making a photo-shoot with those people. When I fell the moment I just take pictures, but I do not intervene in their lives and certainly I do not ask them to pose, I am just observing their lives, feeling the moments and taking photos. But in general I think people understand my message and my work.
D: In many of your pictures we see children who, although they seem poor, they are happy as if they had everything. In your opinion, what is the source of this happiness?
G: Simplicity! The simple life! They have everything what they need. They actually have more than the rest of us because they live in nature, they are free, they climb the trees, swim in the river. So, compared with the kids living in the big cities in the apartments, actually these kids have more. Thus, for me these are the basic reasons of their happiness, especially of a happy childhood. I grew up in a village, and I know how it is to have all those things: the freedom of living closer to nature. I still am happy about these things because I have never moved from my village and I think I never will. So, connected with nature and with family, of course. The grown ups who are living over there, they also have this positive energy. Connection with nature is the source of this energy, thus we must be connected with nature for happiness.
D: Because you are a photojournalist, you have the opportunity to know different cultures, the daily lives of people we don’t know much about, their problems, and their joys. Can you tell us which culture surprised you the most? What does it manifest through and what is special about it?
G: Oh, they have some rituals which, even I after so many years of travelling will never understand. But again, in many of my trips, many people were asking me: “why didn’t you say that what they do is not good?”. But you know, it’s difficult to say for me, and for us too that one thing is right or wrong. It’s their culture, it’s what defines them. They are doing this for hundreds of years. So my answer is: who are we to say and decide what is right or wrong? For me as a journalist, I am there, but I do not involve in changing the culture. My challenge is to be present, to respect their culture and their rules. Abut their culture, I was many times surprised, I can tell a lot of stories which I don’t understand, but again, it is about their culture and we need to respect that.
D: Are you observing the reality and transmit it to us as it is?
G: As a photojournalist, I respect a rule: the art of not involving. Meaning don’t affect the culture! Let them be! Come there as a visitor, try to be the best guest and leave as a visitor not as someone that came there to change and influence their culture. If they need some help, like how to make an easier fire, yes you will help them with the knowledge, but changing their culture I don’t see that as a good thing.
D: The Europeans already have changed and influenced lot of cultures.
G: Yes, and for me that’s sad!
D: In many of your pictures we see you showing technology to the people from tribes who probably never saw such things. What is their first impression of technology?
G: Well, sometimes they are even scared when they see Tele Lens because they look like some kind of weapons. Or when you show them a screen with the photo that you took they scratch the screen because they try to enter inside the screen. They are so happy when they see themselves in the screens. Their reactions are always unique and different. I would also tell you that because sometimes I return to the same villages I’ve already visited, I print photos for them. And when they see themselves on paper is super amazing! They are so pride and happy to see themselves on printed paper after a few years. Basically always technology is a big surprise for them.
D: I think that for you it must be even a happier moment when you see them happy and enchanted.
G: Yes, it’s about the little things that make you happy. But indeed I am happy to share these nice moments, to sharing a smile, to bring them photos, to bring them food. These are the things, I think, everybody should do.
D: Can you tell us what does happiness mean to the people you take pictures of? What do they really value and what makes them happy every day?
G: I can use an example of the Mentawai Tribe which lives in the Siberut Island, it’s a part of Indonesia, it’s 150km away from Sumatra in the Indian Ocean, and they live in the middle of jungles. So, happiness, connected with nature. They live in a jungle, and as I was telling you, the children are swimming in the rivers. They hunt animals only for food. They always make a ritual where they ask for forgiveness to keep the good spirit. They never hunt for sport or pleasure – they respect nature. For them happiness is about balancing the respect between people and the connection they have with nature. Over there I have never seen a couple arguing. Of course like everybody, they are feeling sometimes different pressure of the daily life, and for that they have a garden called “the garden in the Jungle”, and it is only allowed for women where they can discharge emotionally (being loud, arguing with their husbands that are not there, they let all the bad energy over there). This example is a simple key to the happiness. On the other side men discharge emotionally when they hunt – the ladies are not allowed to hunt in this culture. In the end everything is about letting the bad energy out through a walk in the nature and not hurting the one beside us through bad and hurtful words. It is simple and I think we can learn from them.
D: Going through your pictures, I saw a girl with a lot of scars. In the description you said that these scars for this culture are something to wear with pride not with shame like in our world. Can you tell us more about this?
G: Yes. It is more like a non verbal communication. They express themselves this way and show their pride and stories. This for them is their beauty. Again, it’s about their culture. If you are looking at that from the surface you will be amazed and will ask “why they do that? it’s painful!” or “why don’t you say to them it’s not good?”. But it’s not about what I feel, but about how their culture is and how they feel. Let me tell you a story. When I show up over there with a body with no tattoos and nothing on it, they said my body is boring, because it does not have a story to tell. Thus, the scars and other rituals involving their bodies in these tribes are like a way of communicating stories about themselves without talking, and also showing pride about their culture.
D: Capturing emotion in pictures is not a very easy thing to do. How do you do it?
G: I would say: feel the moment. There are always moments like the time before you take a picture and the time after you take a picture. All is in that short moment in between when you press the button. You can never tell when it would be the perfect moment; there is no recipe for that. You just let everything be and you just feel it and freeze that moment in a picture. Anyway, a picture is never just about one moment, it is always about those persons’ lives, feelings, and how do we feel their stories and feelings. Finally, our connection to their stories is what can help us observe those special moments for the pictures – it’s about our connection with the person in front of the camera. We can write a whole book about how and why did you took that photo. It’s never the same.
D: In your pictures we find simple people, poor people or children. What made you choose them as the subjects of your pictures?
G: It’s not about choosing the poor. Or how do we define poor? Many of them are just like us. I would not say they are poor. Of course there are many villages that I have visited because it’s a part of my mission, some of them are in need but I would not say they are poor. How do I choose my subjects? I don’t know, one example: when I was in Johanna’s work in South Africa, it was a dangerous neighborhood. But I saw this guy with a big hat and sculls on his stick and everything… I have this need to approach all the people who have these interesting stories to tell, and I feel that. Well, children they are like that! They are very honest and they will always give their honest stories. That’s the reason why you can find many children in my pictures.
D: There are people who would like to help those in need. What can you recommend? What is the most effective way to help them?
G: It depends if you are personally over there or if you are willing to help from home and connect with some missionary. If you go over there I highly recommend to people to not give the money straight to the people because they are not used to money, they don’t understand their value and they will break them, especially if they are a few brothers or friends. Me for example, I ask people what they need: “do you need food? Flower? Foods? “. After they say what they need, we go to the market and I buy those things for them – they choose what they need. That’s the way I help these people. Otherwise if you give to two brothers something separately they can argue. I always say, if you have three brothersone apple each, everybody happy, no problem!
D: Do you have a global message you try to convey to people through your photos? If so, what is it?
G: The message is: Smile more! Just with one smile you can make the person in front of you happy. For me, you completed your daily mission if you succeeded to make at least one person for one moment happy. Say a nice word, share a smile! If somebody needs help, if you can – buy them food. Finally that’s what it is about: for one moment everyday you need to make someone happy. Do whatever you need to do! Smile is a universal thing that makes people happy and gets them in a better mood. I always said to my nephews: If you go to a store and there is a lady who’s working for many hours- share a smile, say some nice words like “I love your hairstyle” or “you look amazing today” and this way you will make her day. Lot of people are coming in a rush, nervous and eager to get this over faster so they can go home. But you know, with one smile and a nice word you can make someone happy. An all that is for free!
D: I agree with that. There is an old saying “don’t be too stingy with your words, it may cost you nothing to say something nice, but it can inspire somebody to reach a dream”. There are people that after dozens of years remember somebody that have said them something that inspired them, or made them happy. So, yes, I agree with you, our lifestyle in a permanent rush and a state of mind in a permanent chase of material things makes us live in a gloomy society.
G: Yes, we must be nice to other people. I mean why to be rude and grumpy when we can just be happy. We can find problems in everything, in every moment if we are searching for it. But we have to focus to see the good things; they are there at every corner, in the very essence of life.
D: I guess you encourage people to be aware of their achievements, their lives, about what they have. We often shift our desires and expectations the moment we achieved something, and this way we don’t get much time to enjoy what we have and what we achieved. Practically we are in permanent run after dreams forgetting to enjoy the present.
G: Yes. That’s why I suggest to smile more and to make someone happy everyday. Happiness is in the little things!
“Smile more and make someone happy everyday! Happiness is in those little things!”
Goran Jovic
Interview by Doina Gavrilov