Afghanistan – vote for your favourite for the 2009 calendar

[Guest]

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[Christopher]

Welcome to the first round of voting for the 2009 Kiva Calendar.  There are 27 concurrent polls (one for each country) – remember to vote in each one.

You have up to 2 votes in this poll, nominally for: Female individual; Male individual.

Below are links to each  entrepreneurs' profile and a thumbnail (which in turn is linked to the full-sized image – be warned some are a couple of MB or more)

The winners of each country will then go through to the next round of voting*. (Results will be available after the poll has ended).

Kiva profile: Nadia Aqah Mohammad	Kiva profile: Ahammd Zalghy Basir	Kiva profile: Haji Nahim Nor
Kiva profile: Mohammad Zahar Hashimi	Kiva profile: Mir Ahammd Abdulaziz	Kiva profile: Sayaad Agha Ali Mirza Sayaad
Kiva profile: Ahmad Zay Ghulam Rabani

*I am currently reserving the right that if there is a tie I will have the casting vote (I will not have voted in the poll, however tempting it might be).

Where possible the casting vote will be used to ensure:
- a balance of male and female entrepreneurs (as to the Kiva ratio)
- a balance of businesses (farming, shops, repairs, food, markets etc).

[wthepoo]

To prove that I am not completely biased by my loan choices (I am on Sayaad Agha Ali Mirza Sayaad's loan, and I do love his photo, too), I am disclosing and advocating my choices here, too. It was close because basically loved all the pictures - like most from Afghanistan, anyway.

1st and IMHO obvious choice: Mir Ahammd Abdulaziz (maybe someone can crop the photo so that it loses the customer's nose on the left hand side?  ), the almost perfect photo shows him surrounded by his produce (tasty-looking bread), with a seemingly very calm, thoughtful and inward-looking expression on his face.

2nd choice: Ahammd Zalghy Basir: He looks so eager and proud working his old "Butterfly" sewing machine. Lighting and colours are great, too. And I have to admit I have a bias (but a different one, Jane...) towards tailors/seamstresses (both my parents were in this trade).

--Wolfgang.


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I decided not to vote for Nadia Agah Mohammad despite that "nominally" one of my votes should have been hers. Sorry, Nadia.

[mejane]

OK "Wolfie,"
I hope you are keeping track of who you vote for..................... it would be interesting to compare notes.
It seems we have similar tastes....... who knows maybe it is the German heritage at work.
If the bread picture hadn't been so compelling I would have voted for Sayaad Agha Ali Mirza Sayaad - how can you say no to those eyes...... they are riveting.  Jane

[Sengbe Pieh]

I also voted for Mir Ahammd Abdulaziz. Great pic of him surrounded by his wares.

And let me say that all the pictures in this category are excellent.

However I did vote for Nadia Aqah Mohammad.

The Kiva calendar is not just about the picture. The stories told about the entrepreneurs are equally important.

And IMHO her story is the most compelling.

Her story, the simple, harsh, stark, backdrop of the photo, juxtaposed with the meager but beautiful colors & green of the flowers & this shy, dignified young woman (both symbolizing rebirth, a new beginning) makes it an absolute, hands down winner in my book.

                                                                                                                 

Matter of fact I think this would be the best photo & story to represent Afghanistan.

IMHO,

                         

Geoff

                                                                                                                                                                   

EDIT: italicized words added

[wthepoo]

Thank you [!], Geoff, 
you made me seriously considering my vote. I have to admit that for this first overwhelmingly rich round I had not read every profile/story  , and you are absolutely right, hers is compelling and its knowledge gives new leads for interpreting the photo (like you did). What about the reference to a "group loan", though - is that a mistake, and can we change it?
I will have to think about it... it would be hard for me to drop "my tailor".

Btw, I completely agree... Ariana's photos are usually beautiful (with the exception of the only photographer's http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=58526), and these here in particular.

Take care,
Wolfgang.

[KivanSteven]

I chose Aziz as well, but also Nor...very few pictures on Kiva ever show such an up close facial...you can almost reach into his spirit...maybe not completely calendar material but Im hoping for a diversity of picture styles and backdrops.

[Canadian Here]

There's only one photo of a female...guess she gets it by default, right?

Aren't we supposed to choose 1 photo of a male and another one of a female?

Lorna

[JoanW]

The Kiva calendar is not just about the picture. The stories told about the entrepreneurs are equally important.

You make a very good point Geoff - and because of it I am going to have to go back and re-vote...it changed both of my votes in this category and I am sure it will change others as well.  Thank you for reminding me that the story is as important as the picture.