The 11th Carmignac photojournalism award is dedicated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and to the human, social and ecological challenges it faces today. It has been awarded to photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly. His reportage was due to start in January 2020, but because of the global coronavirus pandemic and gradual closing of international borders, the mission as originally planned was put on hold. O’Reilly and the Carmignac team came up with a new approach, creating Congo in Conversation – a collaborative online chronicle addressing the human, social and ecological challenges that DRC faces through close cooperation with Congolese journalists and photographers. Raissa Karama Rwizibuka examined environmental issues in Virunga national park, and fashion and self-confidence in a post-colonial context. Arlette Bashizi captured the realities of confinement in a country with unreliable electricity. Moses Sawasawa looked at politics and insecurity caused by the ongoing conflicts, along with Dieudonné Dirole. Ley Uwera photographed Ramadan under lockdown, and the challenges of living through a pandemic where access to water is severely limited. When the Black Lives Matter movement turned the world’s attention toward global anti-racism protests, Pamela Tulizo examined aspects of our collective post-colonial psychology, but also ideas about African women and beauty.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN