Artist Statement:

Since Joseph Conrad, the Congo, and more particularly the Great Lakes region, has been depicted as an allegory of heaven and hell on earth. The story that has been written for the past two decades is interspersed with repeated atrocities, large-scale murder and rape, population movements set against a backdrop of sublime landscapes. Despite these grossly repetitive acts of violence, Congalese society has never stopped existing. The population, with an incredible capacity for resilience in this perpetual chaos, continue their daily lives, farming and digging this highly-desirable land. In the streets of the province’s capital, Goma, soldiers, ex-rebels, businessmen, and simple onlookers all rub shoulders. Every day, sporting, musical, and political events punctuate daily life as in any city on the continent. Hospital delivery rooms are as full as ever and weddings are continuous. Pentecostal churches are flourishing in the valleys and people dance there as frenetically as in Goma’s nightclubs. In this whirlwind of activity, the presence of armed men is practically banal. They could almost merge with the landscape. Except that the daily smell of gunpowder reminds us that peace only exists by default.

Artist Bio

Born in 1981, Colin Delfosse grew up in Brussels, Belgium where he is currently based. Graduated in journalism, he turned to documentary photography in 2006. As a freelance photographer, Delfosse keeps a strong focus on personal long-term projects in Central Africa.

After his first assignment in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) covering the elections in 2006 he keeps going back to DRC frequently, focusing on social and contemporary issues in the region. His work on Kinshasa’s voodoo wrestlers is the starting point of the international recognition of his work.

For the last five years, Delfosse has collaborated with the UNHCR to cover the flow of incoming refugees in Central Africa and West Africa.

His work has been shown in different festivals — Łódź Fotofestival, Prix Bayeux, Lagos Photo Festival, les Rencontres d’Arles, Visa pour l’Image — and published in newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times, Le Monde, L’Internazionale, Society, The International Herald Tribune and Jeune Afrique.

Since 2015, Colin Delfosse also works as a photo editor for the Belgian investigative magazine Médor which he cofounded.

ARTIST WEBSITE