About the Author
João Leitão was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1980 and from an early age has been creatively stimulated to explore various means of expression in the visual arts.
His awareness in traveling was brought together while history, sociology and anthropology of art kept his attention back at high school and university.
Studies
Satakunnan Ammattikorkeakoulu, Kankaanpää, Finland
Borja Pinilla Art Academy, Badajoz, Spain
University of Évora, Visual Arts, Évora, Portugal
National Society of Fine Arts, Lisbon, Portugal
Hello,
your photos are inspiring. I am departing for Almaty october, 2006 for one year as a Fulbright Scholar to teach global health. i am interested in learning more about your experience in Almaty and i would also be interested in learning what type of braodcast quality film camera i might bring to start a documentary…
thank you
irina campbell
September 20, 2006 at 8:11 pm
Hi
I would appreciate if you would contact me to share your experiences a little further of Kazakhstan.
September 21, 2006 at 7:13 am
This photo blog is great, keep them comming! Way to go!
Nuno
September 23, 2006 at 10:02 pm
To Joao,
please send me an email address. i would like to speak with you about senegal.
September 24, 2006 at 8:05 pm
Please do not refer to the greatest ever cathedral in the history of Christianity as a “mosque”. The muslims deserve the Israeli army to enter the al-axa mosque and convert it to a synagogue, to show them what an insult it is.
November 27, 2006 at 11:18 pm
dear friend,
i apreciate your email.
i guess you should be talking about the mosque in Istanbul, is it?
quoting your text:
“Please do not refer to the greatest ever cathedral in the history of Christianity as a “mosque”. The Muslims deserve the Israeli army to enter the al-axa mosque and convert it to a synagogue, to show them what an insult it is.”
hum…
I’m afraid, that event is nothing that history my friend. yes history. we all have to deal with history and bend to the facts people have made mistakes for us before, that we now can learn and not repeat.
yes in fact that building is now a mosque. as history made it, not specially Muslims. do you how many mosques were converted to Christians churches here in my country during the 11th century reconquest’s? am i going to blame or kill or say bad things about historical acts? are Germans now, responsible for Hitler ravage? come on.. man, grow up. we are product of historical fact: bad and good ones. live with it.
yes the once greatest catholic cathedral IS NOW THE MOST beautiful mosque i have ever seen.
now, about your “The Muslims deserve the Israeli army”, i think that this is wrong, both for Jews and Muslims. they will never live in peace which is bad.
my grandmother always says that to make war, you need 2 parts.
if you say Muslims deserve Israeli army, you say 2 wrong things: Muslims-related to a religion, and Israeli relating to a country. you should use either just countries or religions: Muslims deserve Jewish army, or Palestine deserve Israeli army. not like the stupidity you just said.
if you say israel should make war with other countries, well you should go and fight then. are you? do you think the majority of israelis like to make war?
live with history my friend. we just have to take it and learn.
thank you and have fun. come back to my site always.
Joao
November 28, 2006 at 12:26 am
Perhaps you have misunderstood. I don’t want Israel to start any wars – the al-axa mosque in Jerusalem is built on the foundations of the temple of Solomon, the most important Jewish temple. The Jewish religion requires this temple to be rebuilt, but they will not desecrate/demolish a temple of another religion (they hope that when “the time comes” God will demolish it with an earthquake or something, then they can rebuild their temple). Even though Israel is frequently accused, often quite rightly, of treating the Palestinians brutally, the Jews respect and will not destroy a mosque. It is a pity that muslims are not capable of showing the same respect to my cathedral. It is turkish muslims who should “grow up” and return what they took with violence to its rightful owners, especially if they want to join civilised Europe as an equal member. They can not shout at the Pope about the crusades and say that islam is not violent when they still hold on to what they stole with violence. So all I mean is that if Israel took the al-axa mosque with violence to re establish the temple of Solomon, maybe then muslims would begin to understand what they did to my cathedral and how I feel about it.
Also, you should understand that islam rejects the political state in favour of the “umma”, the global islamic nation. So when fanatics in Iran shout about destroying the political state of Israel and “wiping it off the map” they do so as fanatical muslims against the state of Israel and not as fanatical Iranians – the confrontation is between Israel and muslims, not just Palestinians.
Finally, perhaps I should mention that Ayasofia is not a mosque any more either, when Mustafa Kemal abolished the religious state he turned it in to a “museum of religion”.
December 4, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Hi João
I am portuguese and I had a proposal for working in Mauritania, in the south, Kaedis. I would you like to know your opinion about the conditions for living, security, etc.
Could you please give me your feedback as soon as possible by email?
Your help will be grateful appreciated.
Many thanks
RX
February 15, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Hi again João
Just a short note to say that you were very helpful and I will be a reccurrent visitor of your fantastic fotoblog.
It is amazing the places you already visited taking in account your age. Congratulations for your spirit.
Once again many thanks
Roberto Xavier
February 18, 2007 at 7:19 pm
andreitz@tugamail.com
969303556
andreia ribeiro
March 1, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Can you purchase these photos
May 23, 2007 at 5:16 pm
DEAR MADAM
IT WAS NICE TO VISIT MY COUNTRY INDIA.I WILL MAKE ALL ARRANGEMENT FOR YOUR TSAY IN INDIA.PLEASE MAIL ME
KIND REGARDS
SUDHEER
August 23, 2007 at 5:36 am
welcome to tour that focuses on TUEREG sites and culture. in Libya with visit to the dunes where the Tuareg people baked bread in the desert.
organized that includes eastern Libya .
i can do your trip here in libya desert tell me all information about u
KInd regards
Mr. Mahmoud Akka
http://www.akakusdesert.com
00218.92.645.91.56
August 26, 2007 at 7:47 am
We would like to use one of your images for an exhibition on suzani, central Asian embroideries. I work as a curator in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow. Could you please get back to me, the image we are interested in using is “Street Scene in old city of Bukhara”.
October 22, 2007 at 1:43 pm
hello my dear…. l am very happy to write have sent to inform you that me organize tour in libya desert tourist groups.from it so . the most important desert tourist landmarks distinguished with their natural beauty. The oases are surrounded with sand dunes, and sometimes with lakes, which make all thereof tourist attractive landscapes. This is in addition to the richness of such oases of their cultural heritage and old cities in the area is Ghadames oasis, Ghat oasis, Wadi Elhayat . mahamod akka.
April 24, 2009 at 6:47 pm