The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
July 2014 back issue
by Charlie Waite
In December 2010 Charlie was telephoned by an anonymous woman and asked if he would travel to Libya to take
photographs for a new book on the country. The book’s publisher was based in Malta, but Charlie was not told who
had commissioned it, even though he asked a number of times. The anonymous woman was also very specific about
the dates that Charlie had to go to Libya. She gave him a window of time: 20th Jan 2011 – 16th Feb 2011 making it
clear that he should be out of the country before 17th.
All of his transport, accommodation and fees were covered by the commission and he was paid up-front so he duly
flew to Libya, where he was met by a man from the Ministry of Tourism who arranged for guides to take Charlie to all
the places that would be photographed for the book. Charlie was put up in the grandest of hotels across the country,
had countless guides and was looked after very well. But he was never left alone. He was accompanied by a guide at
all times.
At the Ministry of Tourism, he asked the men who were organising the logistics of his trip to tell him who had
commissioned the book. They said they could not tell him who it was, but at the same time, pointed to a painting of
Gaddafi on the wall behind them.
On the 15th Feb, Charlie’s last day before flying back to the UK, he was taking photographs at the Ubari Lakes. His
guide told him that he lived locally in Bengazi. Charlie asked his guide if he would be doing many more guided trips in
the future. He replied that he would not because he would be returning to Bengazi. Civil war broke out in Bengazi
just two days later on 17th February.
While Charlie was out in Libya, he had no idea of what was about to happen in the country, but looking back now, he
believes that it was obvious that the people or the person who commissioned the book, must have known that civil
war was about to break out and that he had been commissioned to do a book precisely because those people knew
that the country was about to be torn apart by conflict and that the regime would fall. Perhaps it was meant to be a
memento of Libya at a moment in time, before things dramatically changed, and though it was never confirmed
Charlie believes it’s entirely probable that it was Gaddafi himself who had commissioned the book.
Fazzan Ubari Lakes and Desert.
Fazzan Ubari Lakes and Desert.
Ghadames. An oasis town in northwestern Libya.
Ghadames. Doorway.
Camels.
Qasr Al Haj, Tripolitana.
Libyan guides.
Pushing in the Sahara.
Music and culture.
The Leader.
Ghadames, Tripolitana.
Ghadames, Tripolitana.
Ghadames, Tripolitana.
Bedouin walking, Ubari Lakes.
Apollonia.
Fezzan dunes.
A number of these images will appear in Charlie Waite’s exhibition
SILENT EXCHANGE
THE LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY OF CHARLIE WAITE
LYTTELTON GALLERY | NATIONAL THEATRE
23rd June for three months
