"Three nations, one culture", an exhibition by photographer Souleymane Salomon Bombaye
Chadian photographer Souleymane Salomon Bombaye, at the French Institute in Chad, July 12, 2021 © Aurélie Bazzara / RFI
Text by: Aurélie Bazzara Follow
3 min
Chadian photographer Souleymane Salomon Bombaye signs his new exhibition
Three Nations, One Culture
at the French Institute in Tchad during the month of July.
This former oil worker turned professional photographer captured some facets of the cultural diversity among the Mousseye, Toupouri and Massa peoples, through their various community festivals.
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With our correspondent in Ndjamena,
Aurélie Bazzara-Kibangula
Souleymane Salomon Bombaye's photos catch the eye, first of all by their imposing format - nearly 1m for each shot - but also by the energy they give off.
All were taken during the Kodoma dance festival, on the border between Chad and Cameroon.
“
That's a drummer from Gournan, it's a dance from the region
,” explains the photographer
.
This is kaolin, curdled milk.
They are sprinkled with it.
The gentleman plays the tom-tom, and it's not just any tom-tom, it's a big one.
He does it with a rhythm that makes everyone revolve around him.
It turns, it turns, it turns.
"
A photographic work whose objective is to show that culture unites men, but also to continue to keep an ancestral heritage alive.
Cultures unknown to young people
At the origin of his exhibition, the photographer has indeed made a statement.
The cultures of Mayo-Kébi, in southern Chad, are unknown to younger generations.
"
Young people are no longer interested in what was done in the past
," he regrets.
We no longer want to do traditional work, we want modern stuff.
I know that right now there is a group of people in each tribe.
They have an association to be able to maintain it, to keep it.
But over time, it could be forgotten.
These photos, it can also help to remember.
"
Souleymane Salomon Bombaye has already photographed and exhibited the musicians of Chad.
Next project in mind: documenting dances in Sahra country, and traditions of South Sudan.
Initially scheduled until June 30 at the French Institute in Tchad, the exhibition will continue until the end of July.
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