Books
Tibet culture on the edge
Known as the "water tower of Asia," the Tibetan Plateau is heating up twice as fast as the global average. Its glaciers are the source of the major rivers that supply the water needs of almost two billion people in India, Pakistan, China, and Indochina. Today these glaciers are rapidly disappearing. This climatic change along with recent unprecedented development on the plateau-roads, railroads, airports, dams, and communication technology-is rapidly changing the lives of the deeply devotional nomads, monks, and farmers who have lived here for centuries.
Direct Portraits bring us face to face with some of these remarkable people, who live in one of the most fragile environments on earth, and face a rapid induction into the twenty-first century while trying to retain that which they hold most dear-their Tibetan Buddhist practice and culture.
The Gift
Extraordinary photographic portraits, in concert with the words of medical volunteers and the disfigured children they treat in Peru and Vietnam, tell a very special story of giving -- offering a compelling and moving look at the sometimes surprising and unexpected ways that giving of ourselves to help others can touch and transform our own lives.
Enduring Spirit
Eighty hand-toned portraits of indigenous and tribal people around the world is a quietly beautiful testament to the strength and inherent dignity of the human spirit. Enduring Spirit focuses on individuals upholding their cultural traditions in countries from Ethiopia and Kenya to Tibet, and from Mexico to Indonesia. The 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 that outlines fundamental freedoms for all people.
With his photographs and accompanying captions, Borges bridges his subjects' words 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' lens, "possess profound spiritual resources, natural wisdom, and knowledge of their physical surrounding that we have lost."
Women Empowered
The accomplishments of ordinary women in developing and war-ravaged countries who have broken through the barriers of oppression to make a positive difference in their communities is brilliantly told through radiant photography and riveting profiles. The heroic examples set by these women, whose bravery and determination enabled them to move beyond victimization to leadership, speak to the universal themes of courage, empowerment, and human rights. As part of CARE's campaign to empower women everywhere, Women Empowered reveals how determined women of all ages have effectively turned their struggles into triumphs.
Tibetan Portrait the power of compassion
This is a book about a deeply spiritual culture’s struggle to survive and maintain compassion in the face of tremendous aggression. The invasion by the Chinese Communists in 1949 led to massive destruction and repression, and to the occupation of Tibet, which continues to this day.
Throughout 1994, Phil traveled to Tibet as well as parts of Nepal and northern India, where thousands of Tibetan refugees now reside, photographing Tibetans in an effort to understand what had happened to them, their country and their culture.