Encounters in Kamppi
-Pictures and stories from Helsinki from the 1930s to the 1950s-
by Pekka Huovila (In Finnish), 2023
Helsinki has been described in several books and photographs in different eras. Our beautiful maritime capital has also served as the stage for many movies. This book remembers Helsinki in words and pictures from 1932 to 1955, when my mother grew up from childhood to adulthood in five different addresses in Kamppi. Experiences from famine years to war, reconstruction and a large city expansion can be found in time. The book recounts memories of wooden houses being replaced by stone houses, returning from "alien" bomb shelters to shattered streets to see if one's home is still standing, and wondering about the international atmosphere at the 1952 Summer Olympics. More than 200 photographs color the stories of the era, recording the development of Helsinki during a time when the number of experienced and remembered people is decreasing.
Price: 30 € (To order the book, click here and fill the contact form.)
Asian souvenirs
by Pekka Huovila (In Finnish), 2022
The Trans-Mongolian train journey through Siberia to China more than forty years ago forms the basis for later visits to the region... to Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and India, as well as the Middle East, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Lebanon. Up to 359 photographs from 35 visits to 15 Asian countries complement the experiences narrated from the origins of a long cultural and spiritual tradition to modern countries that have prospered thanks to oil, without forgetting the history of nations and the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Price: 25 € (To order the book, click here and fill the contact form.)
In the footsteps of indigenous cultures
-Magic realism in Latin America-
by Pekka Huovila (In Finnish), 2021
This book was born inspired by the ancient indigenous cultures of Latin America. The Maya of Guatemala, the Aztec of Mexico, the Inca of Peru, the Aymara of Bolivia, and the Mapuche of Chile tell the stories with their mixed descendants from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama. I share experiences and knowledge about current life, the environment, and the economy, seeking the trace of the indigenous heritage today through magical realism in literature, visual arts, architecture and music, even politics. More than 200 photographs of the eleven Latin American countries covered complement the stories.
Price: 25 € (To order the book, click here and fill the contact form.)
Experiences and images from Africa
by Pekka Huovila (In Finnish), 2020
The book is based on personal experiences of construction projects and sustainable urban research and development activities in 14 African countries for almost 40 years. The author has lived in rural villages, visited cities and surrounding slums, spent time in ministries and agencies, negotiated with funders, and became acquainted with the African people and their way of life. More than 300 authentic photographs of people and animals, nature and small villages, as well as cities the size of Finland, color the prospects for ‘real life’ in Africa outside holiday resorts.
Price: 25 € (To order the book, click here and fill the contact form.)
