Rio São Francisco or as the locals affectionately call it, Velho Chico is one of the longest rivers in Brazil, crisscrossing and weaving its way through the estates of Alagoas, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Bahia, Pernambuco and Sergipe.
The river more than providing for the livelihood, water, transportation and entertainment for millions of people is also a source of folklore and Brazilian history. Cutting through the many backwoods, towns and villages from the Centro Oeste until the Nordeste Brasileiro, Velho Chico is a persona, a vessel in which stories, real and imagined unfold.
Through the eyes of
@micotoledo in his Project Velho Chico the project starts at the tiny artisan village of Ilha do Ferro in order to trace a loose narrative along the banks of the river in which one character and story seemingly lead to the next, like hyperlinks on the wide web.
Following riders, circus performers, wanderers and hustlers these photographers follow the same ease as the River giving us a glimpse at the many lives and landscapes the river touches and in return is touched by it.
For
@micotoledo and the inhabitants of the banks of Velho Chico, the river is a mystic provider of stories, myth and folklore as well as livelihood. The zine photo book project was one of the winners of best photo books at Zum Photo Festival in 2019.
