This gallery displays images of the funeral of my brother Nicholas (Nick) Howen who died on 26 January 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland at the age of 49 after a little over two years of battling cancer. Nick was the Secretary-General of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in Geneva. He was both an activist and a thinker.
Nick is survived by his wife Lucy, his daughters Susie, Julia and Helena, and me, Alexander his brother. His mother Marianne died on two months after Nick's death.
I have created this gallery to allow his friends and family all over the world to share in the event which took place on 5 February 2010. Being a mourner and covering the event photographically was not easy. As a photographer engaging with the shared grief through my photography has given me a vivid recollection of the day.
I cannot thank Pastor Andreas Fuog of Le Temple in Genthod enough for his care, insight, empathy, spirituality and elegance. He conducted the funeral and himself with grace and style. I am also grateful for the welcome offered to us by the parishioners of this church.
These images may of interest to friends and family of Nick around the world. Even if you do not know our family, the funeral was an emotional and beautiful event. Some images may have captions however if you were there you know who you are. If you are from an NGO which worked with Nick on human rights issues please feel free to include a link on your own website if you wish to share these images with your organisation.
PS. Since the time I wrote the above introduction, my mother Marianne Howen has also died. She died on 28 March 2010 in Sydney. She never recovered from the loss of her son Nick. My father Stanislaw did not live to see the impact Nick had on the world community. He died over twenty years earlier.
It is now just over ten years since Nick's death. He died on what is Australia Day in this country. I hope this collection of images can still touch those of us who still mourn his passing. Each time I browse this gallery I relive the funeral, feel his loss and wish our family was still intact.
Your brother died much too young but in his short life had a real impact on the world around him(I read the Guardian article).It looks like he packed more life into his 49 years than 10 people put together.I'm sure you were very proud of him and his achievements.