Posted on 12 May 2010
(c) Stephen Kelly
The Chinese region of Macau is the most densely populated area in the world. Formerly a tranquil fishing enclave and Portuguese colony, Macau has in recent years, benefited from a multi-million dollar casino boom that has transformed the economic and physical landscape of the region but has also created a stark contrast in the fortunes of its inhabitants.
Thanks to the University of Wales Gareth Jones Memorial Travelling Scholarship, Stephen Kelly, a former student of Documentary Photography at the University of Wales Newport, was able to travel to Macau recently and conduct a photographic reportage of the plight of its people.
As with most economic success stories, there is the inevitable downtrodden workforce. Hundreds of Indian migrant workers – the driving force behind the boom – are being severely mistreated and neglected, having to work long hours for a pittance while their families are forced to live in the filth and squalor of overcrowded slums.
Stephen, whose work has been published in various magazines, including The Independent Magazine, The Observer Magazine, La Republica Delle Done and Il Magazine , took great risks in documenting the suffering endured by these imported workers and their kin.
Stephen has written a feature about his travels in Macau on our Scholarships site, which you can read here:
http://www.wales.ac.uk/en/Scholarships/ScholarshipWinners/2008GarethJonesMemorialTravellingScholarship.aspx
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Notes to Editors:
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