PHOTOGRAPHER/WRITER BAUDOIN MOUANDA IS KNOWN FOR HIS SAPEURS SERIES.
THE JANUARY EDITION OF AFRICANAH.ORG HAD AN ESSAY ON THAT WORK.
His oeuvre is much broader.
Here an impression.
From the Hip-Hop series, 2009-2010.
About:
In his work, Congolese photographer Baudouin Mouanda examines ongoing political developments in the Republic of Congo. In October 2012, the introduction – as part of a preventative campaign – of the pneumococcal vaccine proved to be a very important development in terms of combating and eradicating diseases such as pneumonia.
In its 2011 report, the UN noted that Africa had seen great progress in terms of health and education, but pointed out that there is still an urgent need for further progress in the fields of maternal and child mortality.
The Republic of Congo has taken a big step forward in terms of safeguarding the health of children, through the introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine, which protects against the major causes of pneumonia.
Hip-Hop series, 2009-2010.
The announcement was made after an official ceremony at the Marien Ngoubi Health Centre in Brazzaville, during which the First Lady of the Republic of Congo, Madame Antoinette Sassou Nguesso, and the minister of health and population, François Ibovi, vaccinated a child in front of 200 Congolese mothers.
“In this year of health, as decreed by the President of the Republic, the introduction of this new vaccine is further proof of the government’s determination to guarantee the welfare of the people, and especially that of children, to enhance the future of the nation, and to make Congo stronger and healthier”, said François Ibovi, the minister of health.
About the author: Baudouin Mouanda (1981) is a Congolese photographer and member of the Generation Elili Collective and Afrique in Visu. He made his photographic debut in 1993. He soon began to write for local newspapers about the lives of residents of Brazzaville, breaking away from conformity and focusing particularly on the ongoing wars in the Congo, as also witnessed in his work The After-Effects of War. In 2007, he received training in Paris at the CFPJ (Centre for Journalistic Training and Improvement), where he produced a piece on the Congolese community in Paris and its suburbs entitled The Sapologie. He continued with his work in 2008 in Brazzaville. In 2009-2010, he presented his work at the exhibition “The Art of Being a Man” at the Dapper Museum in Paris, and then at the African Photography Encounters in Bamako, where he received the Young Talent Award, as well as another award from the Blanchere Foundation. He also spent three months in Libreville, Gabon (Visa pour la creation) developing his piece Hip-Hop and Society, and following the country’s presidential elections. Baudouin Mouanda’s work is published regularly in Africa in publications such as Jeune Afrique, VSD, L’Express Style and Planète Jeunes. His work is featured in a number of collections in France and abroad.
Student Nightlife Brazzaville.
On Sapeurs:
From the Sapeurs series, 2008.
The Sapeurs exhibition unveils the secret society of Congo Brazzaville’s finest and most elegant people. Featuring a series of flamboyant and extravagant photographs, Baudoin Mouanda portrays the Sapeurs, members of the S.A.P.E, Societé des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elégantes, in other words, Society of Party Revelers and Elegant Persons. Inspired by the elegance of French men and British dandies, the dandy of yesterday is the Sapeurs of today. Nicknamed Photouin (Photo + Baudouin), Mouanda begins his photographic journey in 1993, when his father offered him his first camera. Years later, he is awarded Best Photographer from the Fine Art School of Kinshasa (Republic Democratic of Congo), Baudouin gradually gains popularity in Africa. While studying journalism in Paris, he decides to work on the culture of S.A.P.E. Back home, he carries on his series, in a country where Suit is king and Sapology is a religion.The Sapeurs de Bacongo photo series is his most famous work to date and have generated tremendous interest from institutions and collectors around the world.
From the Sapeurs series, 2008.