The Uncanny (Congo, 2011-2013)
Léonard Pongo has been taking photographs in the Congo of daily life in the districts of the megacities Kinshasa, Kananga and Lubumbashi. Stemming from his desire to come into contact with the Congolese culture of his father, Pongo followed not only friends, family and strangers, but also local politicians, church leaders and TV broadcasts. The result is a collection of encounters influenced by life experiences, desires and a shared reality, which Pongo was able to utilise to capture the inhabitants of the Congo’s urban districts. Instead of focusing on the country’s conflicts and crises, Pongo wanted to understand what the Congo’s existence looks like outside of these trouble zones.
