“If you go looking for positivity you will find it. Because optimism is everywhere — street after street, city after city,” affirms Jeroen Swolfs. It was a belief that set him off on a seven-year sojourn, photographing street life around the world. From Myanmar to Moldova, his images break barriers and portray everyday human emotions. The collection — of pictures shot in 195 capital cities — celebrates life on the street with images of friendship, hope, laughter, perseverance and peace.

In Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Swolfs photographed a town square with a fountain. In the picture two children stand on the edge, watching the splashing water, even as a bride dressed in a white gown walks quietly behind her groom. In the backdrop is the remnant of a charred building that was burned in riots. “The picture is a perfect example of how life goes on. Even in the face of adversity there is hope — there is the beauty of innocence in the eyes of the kids and the promise of a future together in each step the couple takes,” says Swolfs.

One of his favourite images is a picture he clicked on the Al Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad, Iraq. The historic street, named after a famous poet, is home to bookstores and outdoor bookstalls. Destroyed completely after a car bomb exploded on the street in 2007, killing 24 people, it was rebuilt entirely by the citizens. The picture shows a vibrant lane lined with books, and people busy looking at them. The most powerful message for Swolfs came from the old teahouse owner, outside whose café the bomb exploded killing his four sons and son-in-law. “Take a good photo and show people our resilience,” the old man told Swolfs. For each picture, he travelled to the centre of the city and always shot them at the same angle, with the same lens and point of view. As a result the horizon in all the images is shot at the same length, giving the collection homogeneity.

The pictures are part of one of the world’s largest photo exhibitions, spread across a stretch of 1.8 km, at the waterfront promenade in Al Seef, Dubai. On view till April 5, 2019

Images by Jeroen Swolfs; text by Tessy Koshy

Havana, Cuba: Colour rules on the streets, with the sounds of salsa music and the aromas of spices everywhere.

Baghdad, Iraq: The Al Mutanabbi Street was destroyed by a bomb blast and rebuilt entirely by citizens; it’s a haven for book lovers

Rome, Italy: “At the Piazza del Popolo in Rome, where I was surprised by a man reading a newspaper, while his cat, wearing an e-collar and a leash, was patiently waiting. The cat is wet because his owner threw him in the fountain on the right, to cool down. This was my Rome, in all its relaxed, stylish and Mediterranean classiness,” says Swolfs

Mogadishu, Somalia: This beach was off-limits for years during the reign of extremists. Finally, the local population got it back, and it became their favourite spot for recreation. Every Thursday and Friday, the beach is filled with youngsters playing their fanatical weekend soccer matches

Stockholm, Sweden: Eager children await their turn to ride the carousel at one of Sweden’s oldest amusement parks — Gröna Lund

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Kabul, Afghanistan: A peaceful day, as street hawkers await customers, while a woman in a bright blue burqa walks past
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