An exhibition in Cavaillon presents some sixty photographs from Jean-Claude Francolon‘s career, half of which are dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
Jean-Claude Francolon began his career in motorsport with the monthly magazine Virage Auto in 1967, then joined the APIS agency to cover French and foreign politics before being hired by Raymond Depardon of GAMMA agency in 1973. There, he covered several major conflicts, including the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the Carnation Revolution in Portugal in 1974, the decolonization of Africa, the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, and conflicts in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia).
Francolon arrived in Saigon in March 1975. His stay was short but intense. In early April, the helicopter he was flying to the front was shot down.
“The pilot was very good. We crashed from the rear, which considerably cushioned the impact. However, since I wasn’t strapped in, unlike the pilots or gunners, I waltzed through the helicopter and lost consciousness. No serious injuries. Luckily, the helicopter didn’t burst into flames…”
I returned to Saigon where I stayed for a few days to recover and I went for a walk on Route No. 1 because that’s where the North Vietnamese troops started arriving in force. And there, I was ambushed. Mortar shells fell around me. When it stopped, an American colleague started yelling “Go back now, go back NOW!” I was immediately taken to the Grall Hospital in Saigon where I was operated on in a corridor – without anesthesia – by Bernard Kouchner.
I sent a telex to the Gamma agency and asked to be allowed to return home. I had lost my equipment and had to have an operation in Paris. That’s how Michel Laurent arrived to replace me.”
Jean-Claude Francolon
jusqu’au 30 septembre
Galerie Heckel
97 rue de la République
84300 Cavaillon, France
www.galerie-heckel.fr
