Colombia
My arrival
At the end of 2017, after several years of traveling around the world and seeing my passion for photography grow, I left to live for a year in Colombia.
First step, visit as much as possible before finding a place to put my suitcases. I spend my first three months in Palomino on the Caribbean coast working in a hotel in order to master the language quickly. I quickly find myself taking pictures of the village, the beach, the hotels that were just beginning to become touristy.
Community 13
After these three months I go back down to the mountains to settle in Medellin. I quickly find myself propelled on many development projects of Comuna 8 & Comuna 13.
I was able to offer photo workshops to young people in the neighborhood and make guided tours to tourists to tell them the very particular and bloody history of Comuna 13, today one of the most visited neighborhoods in Medellín. With these red houses which seem to be superimposed on each other, these innumerable graffiti which decorate the walls and a very particular atmosphere, it is impossible to remain indifferent to this unique district.
PHOTO WORKSHOPS
I did my first photo workshops in Comuna 8, which is a very difficult and dangerous area to access.
The photo workshop consisted of discussing the things they like and dislike around their homes and in their lives.
The goal is to highlight, through photography, these subjects and then expose them to present them to adults and that they become aware of the important things for their children (waste, animals, flowers etc..
QUIBDó
Quibdó is the capital of the department of Chocó, located on the Pacific coast of Colombia. Its population is represented by 90% Afro-Colombians descended from slavery.
I had the chance to cover the festival of San Pacho, listed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO since 2012. This huge festival, which takes place every year, is organized by the 12 neighborhoods of Quibdó in the purpose of celebrating Afro-descendant identity and Saint Francis of Assisi, called “San Pacho”. The streets of the city are then crowded with floats, groups of singers and musicians, people in disguise and improvised dancers. Here are some photos that reflect the festive spirit of this event.
Choco
Chocó is one of the rainiest regions in the world. Located on the Colombian Pacific side, this region is between jungle, river and wild ocean.
It is one of the most difficult regions to access in the country, the majority of places are not connected by road.
This region is steeped in history because it was mainly populated by slaves at the time of colonization because it is a region rich in gold and natural resources. During the armed conflict, this region was one of the most affected by the massacres, which created large displacements of internal populations.
The Chocó jungle is crossed by the Rio Atrato which flows into the Caribbean, this area was the epicenter of the conflict and so I decided to discover this area.
I was also lucky enough to be able to travel to the Pacific coast to discover wild beaches and whales.
The Cordoba
I spent a month in this unknown region to follow the BENPOSTA association which acts everywhere in the region with education.
This region is the cradle of paramilitary movements and one of the places where the most social leaders are killed for having defended their convictions.
A region riddled with corruption, which generates a lack of educational structure, public, few roads and bridges, high place of illegal mines as well as roadblocks which caused a scandal among the indigenous populations, in short far from being the place the nicest.
The project with BENPOSTA was to carry out photo workshops in several towns and villages in the department in order to raise their awareness of photography and local issues.
shadow youth
Mid 2019, back in France in Paris, I wish to present my work carried out in all these more atypical areas from each other by highlighting the youth, these young people with whom I have been able to carry out projects which I hope will have an impact. in their life.
It was during this exhibition that I met Dany Mendes, founder of the Cercle des Artistes with whom I work today on cultural and artistic promotion.
