Written by Gabrielle Keung

The exhibition at the Bronx Documentary Center demonstrates the centrality of photography to social activism in Congo. Congolese photographers deliver unflinching accounts of social and racial inequality, and systemic violence the legacy of colonialism brings on. They also shed light on Congo’s share of climate crises, as we grapple with increasingly extreme weathers globally. The exhibition serves as a reminder that the woes of the poverty-stricken nation are not straight-forward; for decades, it has been mired in military occupation, Western domination, and civil wars.

© Dieudonné Dirole for Fondation Carmignac

Finbarr O’Reilly and Guerchom Ndebo’s photojournalism documenting the Nyiragongo volcanic eruption is at once spectacular and horrifying. The red sky is algow as though someone had torched it, setting it ablaze, and viewers are left speechless and in awe as the searing red punctuates the dark, smoky sky. The stillness of the landscape—a smoldering sky blanketing the earth with thick smoke as though in slow motion—contrasts the hurried and frenzied Congolese fleeing their homes to seek shelter.

It is difficult to reconcile the fact that the vast and grandiose expanse overhead—drenched in red, orange, yellow and black light—can be simultaneously so beautiful and yet so threatening. As the Congolese residents are once again driven away from their homes, their faces convey the horror of rootlessness. This time it is not the man-made terrors of war, colonization or dictatorship claiming their lives: it is the inescapable, destructive savagery of liquid lava. Scenes of migration accompany photos of burgeoning smoke getting pumped out of the volcano’s mouth. It’s almost unfathomable that something as ethereal and light as smoke can violently destroy millions of lives, displace children and their parents and siblings, and the elderly. The lava is a cruel reality check – that a safe place to live and thrive for many Congolese is just a pipe dream.

© Moses Sawasawa for Fondation Carmignac

In addition to the threats posed by a vertiginous and volatile volcano, Congolese must confront and negotiate with the highly contagious and destructive virus sweeping across nations -- Covid-19. Arlette Bashizia and Justin Makangara’s photos depicting youth activists and the government’s response to the pandemic reveals the difficulty of launching an organized campaign promoting the use of face masks and hand sanitizers in an age of disinformation and deep skepticism of authorities and politicians.

© Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac

© Arlette Bashizi for Fondation Carmignac

The Congolese populations’ reluctance to slow an already embattled economy through social distancing demands officials to send workers on the field and communicate with residents the dire ramifications of the global health crisis. Youth activists and the government work in tandem to stress the importance of practicing good hygiene as they give out healthcare supplies to local communities. Colorful masks designed with floral, polka dots and stripes are donned by the Congolese people as they listen to those fighting disinformation such as “Covid-19 is a European disease.” Such statements makes images of people walking in white hazmat suits all the more jarring. In a country where people dress in vibrant colors, the blue masks and white suits feel particularly unnatural and sanitized. The harsh mismatch between the dull and clinical hazmat suits and the bright and lively colors that represent the Congolese people highlight the reality of their lives: that they’re increasingly intolerant of—and yet chafe at—the regulations and rules of the inefficient, ineffective government, as well as a broken system.

The exhibition demonstrates the complexity of the troubles plaguing the nation, and the necessity of creative and multipronged solutions.