Singaporean author and photographer Zakaria Zainal, or “Zak,” as we call him, co-authored the book "Nepal Bhukampa: Kaha Thiyau" or "Nepal Earthquake: Where Were You?" with Nepali journalist and 2023 AJF fellow Sahina Shrestha.
The premise piqued my interest: The book is something of a tribute for his experience in Nepal when the magnitude 7.8 quake struck a decade ago.
“It is only human to park away a traumatic experience and not wish to remember it. It took me 10 years to face my fears, revisiting the exact location of the 7.8 earthquake, as well as learning from stories of survivors. Imagine, instead of going to therapy, I decided to write a book,” Zak said.
With the recent earthquakes that rocked the Philippines in barely two weeks, the book’s pages are glimpses of what could happen if we continue to be apathetic to the effects of the government’s corruption and lack of disaster-preparedness.
“Memories are tricky”
The book blends the intimate and the immense.
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