Terror and Tears in the Central African Republic
Michaël Zumstein
Agence VU' pour Le Monde
The first of Michaël Zumstein’s photographs in the Central African Republic take us to the north-west, on the road to Bossangoa.
The anti-Balaka militia had just emerged again; it was September 2013. Former members of the Seleka rebel group from the Muslim north had been in power for only six months, and rebellion was already spreading across the country. One side was brutal, the other driven by destructive anger. A new geopolitical set-up for the Central African Republic was taking shape. Thousands of families became refugees, hiding in the bush, at the mercy of every threat. A clear rift was forming between Muslim and Christian communities.
Michaël Zumstein was back in the Central African Republic on December 5, a day of horror in Bangui, the capital. Early in the morning anti-Balaka groups attacked the city. Seleka soldiers fought back, then attacked fiercely, causing carnage. In an emergency response, France deployed troops in the country, and the situation which, until then had been in favor of the Muslim minority, shifted to the Christian communities. This was the beginning of a bloodbath and rampant violence.
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How could photos convey the horror of the reprisals, show the mutilation, and present the story and issues involved without distortion? In discussions with Michaël, we would try to work out what aspects of the crisis could be shown. Surely it was impossible to conceal such brutal acts of violence perpetrated while crowds stood by watching, as accomplices to the fact. How could it be done without ending up as oversimplified views of gratuitous attacks on fellow humans? The reasons behind the torment of the Central African Republic are complex and run deep.
Michaël is interested in the full story. He has endeavored to reach a genuine understanding of it, to explain it, while remaining discreet and modest. He is one of the most acute observers of the crisis in the Central African Republic.
Michaël Zumstein’s photographic coverage shows the situation of the State that can no longer be called a State.
*Cyril Bensimon *
Exhibition co-produced with Amnesty International
