Richard Mosse’s Infrared Congo

The Congo. A tough place, indeed. In 2005 I briefly stepped foot across the border of Rwanda into this lush, dense, jungle land that is the heart of Africa. I was there doing humanitarian work, and it was exhilarating and tragic and real. I met strong Africans who told me stories of the violence and genocide that rocked Rwanda in the 90s, and the troubles that plague the Congo to this day.  Though a peace accord was signed in 2003, fighting continues in Congo, and an estimated five and a half million people have been killed in the warring there.  Human atrocities of a truly shocking order have occurred in this troubled land.   A country of 71 million people, it is by most accounts the most corrupt large country in the world, and one of the poorest. But in a sick irony, the Democratic Republic of Congo is widely considered to be the richest country in the world regarding natural resources; its untapped deposits of raw minerals are estimated to be worth in excess of US$ 24 trillion.

Through all of this tragedy, I was incredibly moved by the strange and powerful photographs from Richard Mosse. I hope this brilliant and bizarre exhibit can help to draw attention to the heart of Africa.  Via Coolhunting: