Alexis Bouvy is a young Belgian photojournalist and the founder of “Local Voices.” He tells the story of war in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo through the history of local populations, civilians, soldiers and rebels. An anthropologist by training, and having gone on missions for international NGOs, working on behalf of local populations, shooting head-on portraits and colorful landscapes, a far cry from the sensational stereotypes that run rampant in the media. He creates a bridge between an international audience and local communities in the Eastern Congo, for whom life goes on in spite of everything .
I like to say that my work “transmits testimony.” Beyond images and words, I bear witness to difficult, complex and often shocking real situations which are misrepresented or ignored by our media.
“Bearing witness” for means sharing the experiences of people active in the DRC. Reporting on the situation through the eyes and words of the people who experience it, whether they’re refugees, a tribal chieftain or a militiaman. The idea is to take the “spectator” as close as possible to what is occurring, to help people feel what it’s like to be on the ground, defying all the stereotypes while promoting a deeper and more human understanding of what is taking place.
Photography is not my profession An anthropologist by training, I worked for several years for NGOs dealing with the resolution of conflicts in the eastern DRC, before getting involved, in a spontaneous and intuitive way, in reporting on the 2011 Congolese elections. That’s how “Local Voices” was born. I started it with my friend François Van Lierde. We aim to give voice to the local populations affected by the events.
Read the full article on the French version of L’Oeil de la Photographie.
