photography by isabel corthier
Encounters in South Sudan
A year after independence
The youngest nation in the world was the result of the longest civil war the African continent has ever known. The war between Northern and Southern Sudan killed two million and displaced another 4 million people. A Comprehensive Peace Agreement - signed in 2005 - was the first contraction of the birth of a new republic. The newborn (9 July 2011) was named South Sudan and its population recognized Salva Kiir Mayardit as their father.
Although the birth happened peacefully, the baby showed a variety of serious symptoms like food shortages, epidemical outbreaks, high health needs with low coverage, poor infrastructure, poor education, flooding, border tensions and internal conflicts. In order for the nation not to die before the age of 5 - as many of its children - a serious revalidation was needed. Unfortunately, the South Sudanese weren't given that prosperity.
The mistrust and animosity between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar which pre-existed independence worsened. Historical grievances and ethnic bias came to characterize this mistrust. The situation escalated to full-blown clashes in December 2013. As history repeats itself, the new civil war displaced another time a couple of million and killed tens of thousands of people.
Gogrial, 2012-2013
The series won the award of Best body of work from the International Photography Museum and Gallery Alliance (IPMGA) at ICCR, Calcutta, India
This series was exhibited at Barrobjectif and at the ICCR in Kolkata and was published in Shoot magazine.
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