Enduring spirit

This latest collection of photographs by Phil Borges of indigenous and tribal people around the world is a testament to the strength and inherent dignity of the human spirit. Reproduced here are 80 hand-toned portraits of individuals who are striving to uphold their cultural diversity and traditions in countries where basic human rights are threatened - from Ethiopia and Kenya to Tibet, and from Mexico to Indonesia. This book is published in association with Amnesty International to mark the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document adopted by the United Nations in 1948 which outlines fundamental rights for all people. With his photographs and accompanying captions, Borges not merely identifies his subjects but bridges their world and ours, offering a compelling yet unsentimental portrait of their homelands, their dreams, and the close family and community relationships that sustain them. In her introduction, Isabel Allende reflects on the importance of mutual respect for individuals different from ourselves - people who, like those captured by Borges's lens, "possess profound spiritual resources, natural wisdom, and knowledge of their physical surroundings that we have lost."