1914, Berlin…
“The crowds unravel spools of ticker tape, tossing ribbons carelessly into the air like streamers, laughing at the start of their misfortune.” La Bataille d’Occident, Eric Vuillard. Actes Sud.
This review of the origins of the war reveals the striking imbecility of those in power.
Later, in the early 1990s, Yugoslavia explodes, like a return to the origins, April 1992, Sarajevo is under attack from Karadzic’s murderers, Mladic is under the orders of Milosevic in Belgrade. War had already begun in what is now called “former Yugoslavia”. But the siege of Sarajevo, the suffocation of Bosnia-Herzegovina would give this conflict a new dimension. The tragedy would grow deeper.
The photographers were there without fail, courageous witnesses to the unbearable suffering of the local population. As I have said before, photography is dangerous, and as such, it is essential.
Michel Philippot
