Congo (Belge) - Carl de Keyzer

© Carl de Keyzer

Congo (Belge) is the culmination of 10 years' worth of trips to the Democratic Republic of Congo for Carl de Keyzer. He accompanied the International Committee of the Red Cross on missions there and began to compile this body of work. The focus of the book is on former holiday hotspots within the DRC, before it was ravaged by contemporary civil war. The idea for the project came from a 1954 tourist guide of Zaire (now DRC). The series fits nicely into the the growing niche between art and journalism. This is the intention of de Keyzer - 'I like visitors to my exhibitions to ask questions on leaving them. Journalistic photos are quickly forgotten. That is the big difference. My projects are more like essays, novels or films. I am not an illustrator.' De Keyzer shies away from the category of a war photographer which is a nice respite considering the project's location. The exhibition goes on display in FotoMuseum of Antwerp from 22nd of January 2010 until the 16th May 2010.

Interview with Carl de Keyzer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGB6X_XgtIU

Stuart Franklin - Hotel Afrique

Stuart Franklin is probably best associated with one of those iconic images of the 20th Century - the figure in front of a tank in the midst of the Tiananmen Square riots. He later became the President of Magnum Photography. However, he has recently produced a body of work under the title 'Hotel Afrique'. The set takes a look at the ostentatious presence of many luxury hotels throughout sub-Saharan Africa. I have just visited one of his documented hotels - The Shereaton Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A slum was razed to the floor for its construction. Despite such stories, Ethiopia is doing remarkably well for itself. It has one of the highest growth rates in Africa and its income distrubution is one of the most egalitarian in the world. These statistics do not however reduce the austerity of the Shereaton's presence. It remains an island in a sea of underdevelopment. When my friend and I were there, just after Christmas, we were very tempted to raze the ginger bread house in the lobby to the ground, in a similar manner to way the very hotel was constructed. It was possibly the largest ginger bread house on the African contintent. The floor was very slippy.

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The series does not stop with the Shereaton in Addis though, it spans sub-Saharan Africa, documenting the Intercontinentals and Hiltons of the region. Be sure to take a look.

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http://inmotion.magnumphotos.com/essay/afrique