In Le Havre, the many faces of Africa in the eye of photojournalist Pascal Maitre

He is one of the most recognized French photojournalists in the world, published in the most prestigious press titles. Pascal Maitre is in the spotlight of the annual exhibition of the university library of Le Havre dedicated to a photojournalist. This retrospective called Africa(ies) looks back over four decades of reporting on the continent through a selection of 162 photos, all published and divided into eight themes. Photos that take us to discover the many faces of Africa, its human and natural wealth, but also its conflicts.

Even if he has traveled to many other countries to inform and testify, Pascal Maitre has established himself as a specialist in Africa, going where others no longer go. Eight times in Somalia ravaged by war and famine, more than ten times in the countries of the Sahel where Islamist groups are rampant. “I worked on the problems between communities in the center of Mali, between Peuls, Dogons, Bambaras. It’s one of the most beautiful regions, with very welcoming people, and to see it sink into this chaos is terrible. But it’s the aftermath of the fall of Gaddafi, the destabilization of this area, it comes from there“, says Pascal Maitre.

Conflicts and men: but the photographer also works on themes, such as traditions, environmental issues, or even the difficult access to electricity on the continent: “you should know that in sub-Saharan Africa, there are 360 ​​million people who do not have access to electricity. There is great anger, and it is above all experienced as a great injustice“.

Recently returned from Afghanistan, Pascal Maitre continues to walk his lens to tell us about the world. He has embarked on a new project on the subject of charcoal and its importance for a large number of populations: “I find that in all these themes, we have no idea of ​​the impact. I’m sure you have no idea how many people in the world depend on charcoal for cooking. Two billion“.

“Afrique(s)”, photo exhibition by Pascal Maitre – until April 22, 2022 – Le Havre University Library, 25 rue Philippe Lebon, 76600 Le Havre – Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Free