visa for the image

“In the chambers of the mind”: diving into the world of psychic suffering in Africa

02:09

A woman who had just had a psychiatric crisis.

Tokan psychiatric reception center, Benin, 2021. © Valerio Bispuri

Text by: Mathilde Lavigne Follow

1 min

Italian photographer Valerio Bispuri is a regular at the Visa pour l'Image festival.

"In the rooms of the mind" is his fourth exhibition presented in Perpignan.

Through his pictures, he tells what mental illness is today in Africa.

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From our special correspondent in Perpignan,

To understand their daily life, Valerio Bispuri immersed himself in the reality of the mentally ill on the African continent, and more particularly in Benin, Togo, Kenya and Zambia.

An inner world, hostile and aggressive, which can lead to self-destruction.

In this region of the world, mental pathologies are still very little known.

Many sick people roam the streets or hide.

But reception structures, such as the

psychiatric center of Tokan

in Benin, can accommodate and treat more than 200 patients.

• Exhibition

 “

 In the rooms of the mind” by Valerio Bispuri, at the Minimes convent in Perpignan, until 11 September.

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