Category: Encounters

2023, Algeria Selection, Encounters, Sahara

When the Desert Remembers – Algeria, Immidir Massif

When

When the Desert Remembers – Algeria, Immidir Massif

 

In the heart of the Immidir Massif, in southern Algeria, the rocks tell a story that spans millennia. On the ochre walls of the desert, ancient paintings and engravings bear witness to human presence at a time when the Sahara was still green. Stylized human figures, hunting and dancing scenes, animals now long gone from the region—each stroke, each shape reveals a fragment of life, an ancient link between humans, nature, and the sacred. The rock art of Immidir, discreet yet powerful, carries the memory of a forgotten world.

2013, Encounters, Kyrgyzstan Selection

The Smile of Tea – Kyrgyzstan

The

The Smile of Tea – Kyrgyzstan

 

By the flickering glow of a storm lamp, each movement is precise, repeated since childhood. In this Kyrgyz yurt high in the mountains, black tea simmers in an enamel teapot. The hostess, her face lit by the firelight, pours the drink carefully into piala — small handleless bowls.
In Kyrgyzstan, serving tea is more than a daily habit: it’s a way of life, a ritual of hospitality deeply rooted in nomadic culture. The bowl is never filled to the brim — a gesture of respect and modesty — and is handed over with a warm smile, often accompanied by boorsok, homemade jam, or fresh bread.
Here, over tea, stories are shared, silences are welcome, and bonds are woven. Tea is the heart of the home, the warmth of welcome, the beginning of every encounter.

2015, Encounters, Mongolia Selection

Reunion among the Mongolian farmers

Important reunion around a sensitive debate.

This picture has been taken in 2015 in Oulan-Bator, capital of Mongolia

The big cattle owners, coming from all Mongolia, were once more gathered to discuss about the consequences of the last “white dzud” that just hit the country. A “dzud” is a climate phenomenon (sometimes drought in summer, sometimes cold winter, sometimes a combination of both) that lead to several deaths in the cattle. For the past few years, there have been numerous “dzud”. The annual losses can be counted in millions of animals.