AFRICAN ODYSSEY

“Africa is one, but plural. It is a mosaic of cultures, languages, traditions. It advances, it evolves, it transforms, all the while preserving its deep identity.” — Léopold Sédar Senghor How can one live so differently on the same planet while we, Westerners, are sinking in this model of globalization which attempts to smooth out fashions for the happiness of multinationals keen to extend their influence everywhere, even if it means making us lose part of our identity? This is the reflection that has imposed itself on Benoît Feron on his return from his first trip to Africa. This questioning as naive as it will suddenly be the beginning of a true photographic odyssey, of a long journey across this polymorphic continent, driven by a fascination for the diversity of Africa, which will continue to grow as time goes on of the discovery of the multiple cultures and traditions preserved by the peoples of this continent. For ten years, Benoît Feron set out to discover the peoples of the cradle of humanity, from Djibouti to Tanzania via the Kenya and Ethiopia. Through clothing, adornments, jewelry, ornaments or even body art – in the form of paintings or scarification – each people proudly approaches their belonging to the group and the perpetuation of its traditions. Beyond this first observation, the photographer discovers a continent in full mutation, which never ceases to reinvent itself. Far from the image frozen in an “exotic” Africa, Benoît Feron captures the incredible energy deployed by a youth who are building a better world.