Commerce along the banks of rivers and oceans of the world has changed history and the human experience forever. Les Mento is a New York photographer whose work tells the story of rivers, their significance to African-American history, and the importance of life along the riverbank.

The photograph to the top right is a magnificent shot of Mento’s hand sprinkled with droplets of water from the Nile River in Africa. As Mento dips his hand into the water of the world’s longest river, one asks, “Will there come a day, when every hand of every member of the African Diaspora can feel the gentle rush of the Nile River?”

This photograph reminded Mento of the famous poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by renowned African-American poet, Langston Hughes. In the poem, Hughes reflects on his intimate familiarity with the River Euphrates in Asia, The Nile River in Africa, and the Mississippi River in the United States.

Throughout the work, Hughes alludes to the African-American experience with respect to rivers. At the conclusion of the poem, Hughes writes, “My soul has grown deep like the rivers.” Mentos’ life parallels the poem by Hughes. He was born in Ghana, along the west coast of Africa. Now, he resides in New York City, close to the historic Hudson River.

Mento is well acquainted with the flow of rivers and water. He knows life along the banks of rivers in different parts of the world. And his photography is evidence of that.

"Bad Boy" by Les Mento

In the photograph to the left, Mento captures a boy fishing in Ghana. The picture is taken in black and white versus color like the other photos that Mento provides. Ironically, the boy’s shirt reads “Bad Boy”. But one looks at this picture and sees everything but a bad boy. The youth’s hands are full of fishing equipment. Waves crash in the distance. But, there are no fish in his hands.

Life along this river is very different than life along other rivers. For this young boy, the water is a source of food and most likely income as well. This picture shows the importance of the water on life for the young boy. Is his fishing journey just beginning or is he returning home? Mento leaves viewers with innumerable questions with this intriguing photograph.

The photograph to the bottom right was taken from Mento’s collection of photos from a recent visit to Ghana. Waves crash onto the shores of a sandy beach. There’s a single set of footprints in the sand and one wonders who walked along this beautiful beach? Was he or she tempted to swim in the beautiful ocean? Or did he or she prefer to leave the majestic beauty of the ocean tide undisturbed?

"Ghana" by Les Mento

The work of Les Mento touches upon history and modern life along the world’s rivers. His creative references to literature and culture engage viewers on an artistic excursion that surpass a mere glimpse at a still image. Mento draws parallels between history, art, and culture in his work. With a click of his camera, onlookers sojourn from the shores of the Nile River, to the coastline of Ghana and back again.

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