I was lost and being led by three children through a maze of narrow walkways in a crowded neighborhood. Mud brick and plaster homes were packed tight and piled on top of each other.
I could only see a few yards in any direction, just as far as the next turn on the mud and stone path. Then, briefly, there was a clearing on my right.
It was a community trash pile with foosball on top. The neighborhood seemed bordered on the west by a buffer of garbage, and beyond it swampy rice fields.
The two boys were in an intense match. I thought of taking photo, but I didn’t want to distract them. And I didn’t want to keep my young guides waiting or abuse the kindness they were offering me by leading a stranger out of their quarter.
This was back in October of 2014. I was out for a run on a Sunday. I was exploring Antananarivo and I decided to try to find a shortcut home. This is where the idea for Photos from Memory came from.