No stranger to war and conflict, the Dutch photographer Jan-Joseph Stok has been traveling across Africa for over ten years. A correspondent in some twenty countries for the international press, Stok returns annually to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, covering different subjects, from armed rebels, with whom he spent several weeks, to the consequences of war, such as sexual violence, displacement and child labor. His exhibition is a retrospective of this deeply conflicted country from 2005 to 2014.
At the festival, the photographer was generous enough to share with us the work of a few African photographers, as well as his future project, Che in Congo. Following this retrospective, Stok decided to draw attention to the DRC in a different way. He learned of the existence of a diary, published in the late 1990s, written by Che Guevara, which the revolutionary kept during his travels in Africa. Che was on a mission to train the Congolese to rebel against the imperial regime, and when the mission failed, Che’s pride compelled him to keep the failure a secret.
Accompanied by a video artist and graphic designer, Stok will set out in Che’s footsteps and, via the icon diary, draw a different kind of attention to the country. “In trying to understand, we can maintain hope for the future.” This work will give Stok the opportunity to make an in-depth examination of a society which he has covered for a decade, showing the Congolese and the world a different vision of their country. He has already begun his research in Cuba and obtained the necessary authorizations, gathering precious information and materials crucial to the project. To be continued…
FESTIVAL
ZOOM PHOTO FESTIVAL SAGUENAY 2014
Jan-Joseph Stok
Congo, guerre sans fin (2005-2014)
Hangar – Zone Portuaire
49, rue Lafontaine
Chicoutimi
Canada
Jeudi et vendredi – 12 h à 18 h Samedi et Dimanche – 10 h à 16 h
www.janjosephstok.com
www.cheincongo.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gyi7rZ3ix4&channel=bencrowefilms
