Cultures at Risk Presenter Biographies

Beth Wald

On the vanishing gaucho culture in Patagonia, and current conditions in Afghanistan

“With beautiful and sometimes harrowing images, Beth Wald’s presentation, ‘Eternal Afghanistan’, explores the impact of decades of war on Afghanistan’s ancient cultures and diverse environments, and celebrates the peoples of Afghanistan — Pashtun, Hazara, Tajik, Kochi, Uzbek, Kirghiz — who have struggled to continue their old, gracious traditions and unique ways of life in the midst of unspeakable devastation.

“On our panel, Beth will talk about the gauchos. The free roaming gaucho, that romantic figure of Argentine history and folklore, has long since vanished from the Pampas, the great grasslands of Argentina where he emerged several centuries ago. The spirit of the gaucho, however, still survives among rugged horsemen in the wild lands of Patagonia, but even here the old traditions are threatened by a changing world.”

As a college student, Beth studied environmental science and took a research trip to the Himalayan mountains. Soon, she began climbing and taking photographs of her climbing adventures. Fast forward some 15 years and Beth can look back on taking pictures while “dangling from ropes hanging from cliffs, frozen waterfalls and tropical trees; from the backs of horses, camels and donkeys; from helicopters, airplanes, kayaks, rafts, rickshaws, and mountain bikes.” Her work has taken her from the Arctic to Patagonia in southern Argentina. She’s photographed across the world for magazines like National Geographic, Outside and Travel and Leisure, as well as for corporate clients such as The North Face, Patagonia Inc. and others.