Interview with Corentin Fohlen

Friendly and cheerful, Corentin Fohlen is a young talented photojournalist very appreciated in Perpignan. Regular visitors to Visa Pour L’Image may remember his screening in Campo Santo on September the 3rd, 2009. This year, he comes back with the City of Perpignan Young Reporter’s Award, and brings back outstanding images from Haiti and Bangkok.

After attending a school of illustration and comic books in Brussels, he started his career as a photographer with the agency WOSTOK PRESS in Paris. He gained the recognition of the professionals with his reports tinged with sincerity and emotions. "At the beginning, I took street photos, in black and white, like Doisneau. I wasn't really interested in news. But then, I ran into demonstrations in Paris. I enjoyed the idea of a protest campaign and I turned to photojournalism." In 2005, his report of the riots in French suburbs was chosen as the front cover of the TIME Magazine. Then, he worked on François Bayrou's presidential campaign, riots in Villiers-Le-Bel, and left abroad to cover the riots in Athens (Greece), the conflict in North-Kivu (RDC - Congo), the French Army in Afghanistan, the independence of Kosovo. He made a report on the Aquila, the G8 leaders summit (Italy), the elections in Afghanistan. He came back to France to photograph the clandestines from Calais, and the social conflict in Guadeloupe. "I'm interested in History with a capital H. I want to show a striking event with a symbolic photo."

This year, Corentin has focused on Haiti, (the earthquake, the issue of agriculture, NGOs and adoption) and on the Redshirts'struggle in Bangkok (Thailand). Two dramas, two symbols. His exhibition, Haiti & Bangkok - horror & revolt, shows the daily struggle of men and women determined to overcome horror.

On January the 12th, 2010, Port au Prince, the capital of the poorest country in America, is devastated by an earthquake of magnitude 7. "Haiti was a horrifying and brutal shock. The day after, I left with a journalist, at my own expenses. We wandered through the streets, witnessing the disaster." Corentin summed up the situation in a few pictures. 200 000 dead in the ruins. In spite of the promises of huge donations from all over the world, the humanitarian aid arrived too slowly. Haitians were left to themselves, confronted to a shortage of food, water, medicines. "They needed to call us to witness, especially because NGOs had not arrived." But beyond the initial impact, what sticks in Corentin's mind is the courage of the Haitians confronted with chaos. "Victims devoted more efforts to surviving than to complaining about their plight."

In Bangkok, when people from rural regions armed with slingshots and fireworks, took on Thai army tanks and helicopters to call for the government to step down, Corentin was just back from Haiti. "I heard that there was growing tension between the Red Shirts and armed forces, determined to get them out. It was the end of the struggle. But I could sense the drama, and feared a blood bath. I decided to go to Bangkok and cover the event by the side of the Red Shirts. I stayed three weeks with them, behind the barricades. The freedom of the press is nonexistent in Thailand. The Red Shirts were glad to see that foreign journalists showed interest in their claims." Once again, Corentin witnessed the courage of these men who help each other, risk their lives, crawl, then reach up to hurl a firecracker.

Corentin is the youngest photojournalist exhibiting at Visa Pour L'Image. "It is an honor. Visa Pour L'Image is a sign of recognition from the profession. It puts photojournalists under the spotlight, but then, everything remains to be done." In November, Corentin is going back to Haiti for the 4th time to cover the presidential elections.

Marion Mozzi