Bali is a tropical holiday paradise. But there’s a darker side few tourists witness: people with mental illness being chained, caged, or shackled by their family members, for years, often in shocking conditions. Dr Suryani tries to help them.

Photos by Fanny Tondre/LightMediation Text by Nadjet Cherigui

For more Pictures and Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

Preserve and renovate Saint-Louis in Senegal. Such are the worthy intentions demonstrated by the island’s mayor’s office and local civil associations. Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the former capital of French West Africa resolves to one day regain its splendor of old.

Photos by Bruno Morandi / LightMediation Text by Mathieu Ropitault

For more Pictures and Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com

December 2012: as we near the end of its 5,200 year cycle, the Mayan calendar has inspired many to believe the end of the world is nigh. Everywhere new « prophets » are on the rise. But what do modern-day Mayans think about this prophecy? This article is a field survey into the 2012 phenomenon.

Photos by Eliane Beeson/LightMediation Text by Caroline Chapeaux

For more Pictures and Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

Beirut is probably the only city in the Arab world where homosexuality is openly discussed and, up to a point, accepted. This has caused a number of organizations to spring up who fight for the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in the Lebanese capital. Helem (Arabic for dream) is one of them…

a Photo story by Laura Boushnak/LightMediation

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

Studded with numerous oases, the south of Tunisia is also a Saharan journey. From one oasis to the next, these green stopovers open themselves up with a sweet coolness to the traveler and evoke the old caravan routes. From mountain oases to those covered in the sands of the dunes, our path crosses those of people whose love for the land is still very strong. An unexpected Tunisia far from the clichés.

Photos by Emilie Chaix/LightMediation Text by Sabah Rahmani

For more Pictures or Informations please Contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

Although Parisian for a long time now, Kenzo remains strongly attached to his mother country. He tells us about the places of his childhood, other places he’s fallen in love with and also gives us the address of the sublime ryokan, where he likes to take refuge and regenerate himself. He leads us on a subtle journey full of nuance, mainly in Kyoto, where the designer renews with his roots.

Photos and text by Christophe Boisvieux/LightMediation

For more Pictures or Information please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

Deep in a valley in China, in what was once the Kham region of Eastern Tibet, lies the Dege library, heralded as the third holiest Buddhist site after the Potala Palace and the Mount Kailash. Dege’sunique collection includes 270,000 books on hand carved wooden plates…

Photos by Remi Benali/LightMediation Text by Heather Robinson

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Born in the same period and in the same region as Buddhism, Jainism made non-violence its first credo. Once every twelve years, its followers pay an extraordinary homage to the statue of the prophet Bahubali, who had freed himself from desire and illusions. This is the day of the Great Unction, a veritable, and literal, deluge of saffron, milk and sandalwood.

Photos and text by Christophe Boisvieux/LightMediation

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

Reopened in 1990, following the reunification of the two Yemens, the Incense Road had made the fortunes of Sabean merchants throughout High Antiquity. A journey in the footsteps of the Magi through the heart of « Happy Arabia ».

Photos and text by Christophe Boisvieux / LightMediation

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com

The « Dear Leader » of North Korea, Kim Jong Il died and his son Kim Jong Un is the new leader of the nuclear-armed country where of millions North Koreans suffer daily. Only a few journalists have managed to enter it. They must act as tourists to get a glimpse of the miserable life of a nation which has become the feudal kingdom of the Kim dynasty.

Photos and text by Patrick Aventurier/LightMediation

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21