Interview with Danielle & Olivier Föllmi

Passionately fond of life, Danielle Pons and Olivier Föllmi were meant to find each other and have a unique destiny.

Danielle Pons-Föllmi grew up in Salvador and Central America. She arrived in France at the age of 17 and studied medicine. She became a doctor-anaesthetist, and worked on three continents. She went on missions to Panama, India, then to Cambodia and Laos with «Médecins sans Frontières».

Olivier Föllmi walked through remote valleys of the Himalayas and decided to live in one of the most isolated regions in the world, the Zanskar. He started taking pictures of this amazing world and won his first awards.

In 1984, Olivier and Danielle got married and travelled to China, Tibet and Zanskar. They moved to India for 2 years, with the Tibetan community in exile. They travelled the world, to the Far North of Canada, Greenland, Peru, Bolivia, Bangkok, Burma, Japan. From these trips more than thirty books were produced. They also defended the Tibetan case, did a tribute to the Zanskari people. In September 1999, Olivier Föllmi is nominated for the Visa d'or Magazine during the 11th International Festival of photojournalism in Perpignan for his report Les Forçats de l'Himalaya. In 2000, Danielle and Olivier are chosen to be the official photographers of Dalaï-lama during his stay in France. Olivier carried out photographic work on the region Rhône-Alpes for National Geographic. For Paris Match, he photographed in Bodhgaya the gathering of 300 000 pilgrims who came down from the Himalayas and the Tibetan world to pray for the peace of the world, and attend the teachings of Dalaï-lama.

Travelling is for Olivier a way to live free and be filled with wonder at the world. Taking photographs is a step to mankind. He doesn't consider himself a news or reporter photographer, but a humanistic photographer who travels a lot and lives on meetings and emotions. "I like photography to receive, give back and share". He emphasizes that his photographic commitment is not to show violence, but to enhance worthy men and women. "Taking pictures is my contribution to the peace of the world". Photography allows to capture human beings' spark. It is a way to approach people and perceive what is hidden inside. "We are fortunate to meet serene people. We don't want to denounce anything, and choose to show the positive." Danielle says: "as a doctor, my preoccupation is a careful approach to others. We need to show the greatness of man. There are responses to violence. We have to identify it and accept it as it."

Danielle and Olivier Föllmi went in search of wisdom from the most important cultures of humanity. "The idea is to find a delicate, sensitive and intelligent answer to our existence" says Danielle. The intellectual and literary approach of the project "Wisdom of the Human Race" led them around the world for 7 years, to produce a new book every year that enhances new thoughts: Offerings, Wisdom, Origins, Revelations, Awakenings, Breath and Hope.

Himalayan, Indian, African, Latino American, Oriental, and European cultures have different views. Olivier enumerates the beauty of each culture: "in the Occident, there is a certain dynamism, a wish to go higher, an awareness of the past, of the heritage; the most important feature in Africa is humanity; in Latino America, it is the joy of life, in Asia, interiorization, faith, the muslim world is typical by its search for purity, and the Hindu world, by its cosmic dimension." Danielle insists on the fact that the Occident does have wisdom: "we have extraordinary forms of expression, and a capacity of thought." Olivier says passionately: "I'm amazed at Europe. We have a wonderful quality of life. And the price to pay is a psychologically difficult life."

The exhibition, "Wisdom of the Human Race", is a hymn to life; a celebration of the spiritual heritage of mankind. A reminder in this festival that violence and destruction exist, but beauty dominates. The photographs, well-constructed and esthetic, are peaceful. They go with inspiring quotes. The exhibition highlights the unity and diversity of the human race.

Uniting their passion and destiny, Olivier and Danielle Föllmi defend the beauty and wisdom of humanity.

Marion Mozzi