Monique Hohnberg, Moorookan Queen (PORTRAIT 2023)

I was outside Woolworths in Moorooka, also known as Little Africa in Brisbane, when this fabulousness rushed past me. A woman on a mission. I ran to get ahead of her. Could I take her photo and a phone number to talk about a photography project? Tropical Belle Rosa paused briefly and turned towards the light. From South Sudan, Rosa brought seven children with her, three of her own and four relatives, when fleeing as a refugee. Now, having been here twenty two years, and the children grown, she teaches South Sudanese cooking and sells it in a food truck. “Come with me to South Sudan and photograph the abandoned children.”

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.