12 year old Leandro Pires disappeared in the waters of the Tua River in the city of Mirandela on the 2nd of March. Leandro lived in the village of Cedaínhos in the Mirandela Municipality and was a 5th grade pupil at Luciano Cordeiro’s Primary School 2, 3 located in that city. Allegedly after being bullied, he was seen running from the school premises and heading to the city’s park where he threw himself into the river. Running to get a hold of him were his twin brother and three cousins, the only witnesses of his dive, half-naked, into the waters. Helplessly, they watched him being dragged under the strong current. Twenty-three days later, Leandro’s body was found in the riverbank by a fisherman, 12 kilometres downstream from where he dived in. The public office’s investigation was archived without any conclusive confirmation of suicide. Nobody was held responsible. NA

The rainfalls that fell over Madeira Island on the 20th of February 2010 were the heaviest ever registered in Portugal. Serious floods and landslides occurred in Funchal’s city region leaving a trail of devastation all across. Creeks and streams overloaded with the descending waters from the hills resulted in massive floods in the city with thick tides of debris, mud, trees, wrecked cars, etc. Funchal’s population struggled day and night to recover city life back to normal. This was the most severe natural catastrophe in the Island in many years and with a very sad aftermath – 42 deaths, 600 displaced, and 259 injured. EVR

The Pope’s visit to Portugal had a thorough coverage in the Portuguese news channels. The idea of the report was to ‘depict’ the coming of the Pope seen through a TV screen and to do this without directly taking a picture of him in the many places and stopovers. TV channels setup a live streaming of the occasion so much so that there is hardly a single moment of the visit lacking a video shooting. My work goes on to emphasise this idea while, at the same time, reporting on the visit of Pope Francis. NG

According to the United Nations, the Ukraine has the highest rate of HIV-positive citizens in all Europe with 360 thousand people infected. Each day, 50 Ukrainians die due to HIV related illnesses. In that country, where health service is free, the government had made a commitment to provide medication and care for HIV treatment. However, the Ukrainian National HIV Support Network accuses the Health Ministry of delaying the distribution of medicines. The Global Fund, main sponsor of a USD 305 million grant for HIV prevention and treatment in that country, demands that the Ukrainian government resumes the distribution and also to stop the persecution of drug users as well as of the NGOs who help them - GF warns that if the government fails to heed it risks the withdrawal of all financial support. This work follows a group of street-children, drug users, HIV-positive people, and prostitutes in Odessa, South Ukraine. CP

Around 80% of convicted women are also mothers and the large majority has the custody of their children. The Portuguese justice system allows mothers to live with their babies in prison until they reach 5 years of age. Getting pregnant or having a child becomes a way to smooth the conditions in prison once mothers are entitled to live in a reserved, private area. For many, this is the context where they see their new-born’s first smile and first steps. Most of these women go directly from the airport to prison due to drug trafficking. In an irony of destiny, two airports were built near both Tires and Santa Cruz do Bispo prisons. These mothers watch the planes flying high above their heads every single day. JCC

In a time of economic crisis, camping is now and increasingly the preferred choice for a vacations’ getaway for many Portuguese. Although money is short, comfort is never to give up on. That is why we see tents fully equipped resembling tiny transportable houses – beds, laptops, TV sets, domestic appliances, and machines are plentiful all around. With camping sites normally well located, many times near the beach, it is not uncommon to hear campers saying that they feel much better and comfy here than in a 5 star hotel. APS

Located in Amadora municipality, Cova da Moura Neighbourhood is one of the largest and oldest enclaves of migrant population in Lisbon’s great metropolitan area. Officially classified as a degraded neighbourhood of illegal origin, Alto da Cova da Moura initially came about through the spontaneous, informal occupation of private and state lands in a process initiated in the late 40s. Currently covering an area of approximately 16.3 ha, the present population estimate is of around 5,000 residents of mixed culture and ethnic origin. The majority are descendants or natives from Cape Verde but also from Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, and internal migrants from the North and centre of the country, as well as Portuguese-born returnees from the ex-Portuguese colonies in Africa. Such diversity ramped-up over the last few years with the settling of people from Eastern Europe and Brazil. AB

One of the most famous summer festivals in our country, Paredes de Coura Festival is always more than a simple line-up of gigs. Its 2010 edition testifies to the claim. Even though river Taboão was known to be infected with salmonella just a few days before the event’s opening, many challenged themselves into the waters – to cool off from high temperatures as well as to socialise or to rest. Festival-goers crowds who seek Paredes de Coura give life to Taboão’s banks and beaches. Water jump-dives ensue after climbing the trees. And those in need of a siesta can always lie down under the trees. The real festival happens in-between the tents - here, concerts take backstage. AM

In February 2010, film director Javier Téllez visited Lisbon as part of an invitation by F.C.Gulbenkian to direct a movie. With initial references such as Dürer’s rhino or the universe of mental illness, Téllez worked the photo shooting at Miguel Bombarda Hospital’s panoptic. The participant actors suffer from psychiatric illnesses. For some, this occasion was their first experience with cinema. MR

Portugal’s coastline is vast: 1,230 km in the continent, 667 km in the Azores Islands, 250 km in Madeira including the Desert Islands. AB

This series departs from a metaphor on the relation between humans and animal species in daily life and hunting. Animals, once predators, companions, and food sources, are now transformed not in trophies but in objects of admiration and affection. The once-upon-a-time beasts have moved from their natural habitat into houses, wineries, and coffee shops.  The domesticated ones carry on in their masters’ houses, in displays, on shelves, and TV sets…VV

On the 8th of April in 2010, the European Commission called out member states to use EU funds for the social and economic integration of gypsy communities. Contrasting with the forced expulsions that took place in France in that same year, the Portuguese state and local authorities worked to follow through the call. One of the most recent examples is the resettlement process of a gypsy community in Vila Nova de Famalicão – for 34 years this community lived in a neighbourhood known as “Bairro da Estação”, a shack settlement inside the city. In these portraits we see the faces of family members inside their former houses in that same neighbourhood which was, at least for the youngest, the only home they ever knew. The pictures were taken in the two years prior to relocation. NA

Being aware of unemployment rates trotting full speed in Portugal, I set out to give a face to this – something that would wish away with numbers and bring out the real people. The need to find a micro cosmos of sorts which reflected what was going on in the whole country, further led me to the Delphi factory in Guarda. Delphi was once a key employer in the region with 2,700 workers only two years prior. In August 2010 the factory was still on with the remainder 321 workers who were told that the final closure would happen by year’s end. My proposal was to make a portrait of each of these 321 workers. 72 of them showed up to be photographed. All 72 portraits were published in the same article. The factory officially closed its doors on the 31st of December 2010. TM

The presidential candidates running for the January 2011 elections started to attract the media’s attention around the end of 2010. Individual profiles were made for all six candidates. Each one’s personality comes out in the posing and most informal moments captured throughout this project. Cavaco Silva (meanwhile re-elected) is pictured at Belém Palace; Manuel Alegre with his campaign’s head office in the background; Fernando Nobre is portrayed at the beach; Francisco Lopes is seen near the PCP head-office; José Manuel Coelho in front of Belém Palace, and Defensor de Moura at the Parliament. DR.

Nuno Cruz, known as the ‘Warrior of the North’, became the first Portuguese boxer to win a world champion title in his league. Nuno won boxing’s highest title despite the weight gap with his opponent. LC