Photos can often say more than words. For the twelve months preceding the middle of last year, a devastating civil war raged in Guinea-Bissau that destroyed a large part of the country. Photographer Arnaldo da Silva, who now lives in Portugal, struggled to understand the situation in his homeland. Da Silva's exhibition of photos at the EXPO documents day-to-day life in this West African country in the aftermath of the war. The photos "tell the story" of the destroyed presidential palace and of the empty throne, but also of the people who have an overwhelming desire to rebuild the country.

"I didn't just see the destructive forces of the war; in the faces of the people I also saw hope for a better future," says da Silva. The photographic exhibition begins with the motif of a tree, which until just a year ago formed the border between the warring parties. Besides the tree stands a woman - the keeper of the tree.