Taninjanaka, literally "the land of the children", is a photographic reflection on tomorrow, the future of Malagasy people; a project I started during the lockdown in March 2020. It consists of a series of portraits of middle-aged adults whose faces express a harsh reality of life. All coming from the slums of Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, these people live in precarious conditions. They are representative of the majority of the population on the island. According to the World Bank, Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world with a poverty rate of 77.4% in 2020.
Women take a predominant place in my work because in all the communities I visited, men leave their household when the conditions are tough, leaving an average of five children with their mothers with no further involvement. Having no hope for their own future, these people also have a blurred vision of their children's future given the unstable economic situation that persists, sharpened by the presence of Covid 19.
I chose a neutral background with a tight framing, in the style of a passport photo to allow the reader to focus on the face, an essential element of individuation but at the same time evoking the universality of human beings. The red background is used here to highlight a danger, to warn of a critical situation. It evokes the brutality of life. The raw light of the day provides a sharp contrast, revealing the prominent facial shapes.
The face speaks to us; it is the door to the soul. It invites the expression of deep feelings. The face is an interface between inside and outside. It never lies. It is a part that reflects a whole, telling stories that we can interpret according to our sensitivity.
sur les récifs. L’ambiance peut paraître parfois inquiétante. Ce n’est que pour mieux montrer la force de la nature, plus anciennes que les hommes, présente là bien avant tout.
