Songs of the Wales

For the Ekonda pygmies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the most important event in the life of a woman is the birth of her first child. The young mother is called Walé (»primiparous nursing mother«). For several years after giving birth, she lives in semi-seclusion, separated from her husband, cared for by other female tribe members and covered daily in red powder made of Ngola wood. When the time comes to reenter society, she puts on a show for the community, translating the lessons learned during seclusion into songs and dances. These celebrations captured the attention of French photographer Patrick Willocq, who, in a unique collaboration with some Walés, their respective clans, an ethnomusicologist, an artist and many artisans of the forest, constructed elaborate and surreal sets, in the middle of the jungle and without any photoshop montage nor collage, inspired by the Ekonda mothers’ chants, and then photographed staged scenes of the women within them. This book presents the series produced between 2013 and 2015, among them I Am Walé Respect Me and Forever Walé. Through this work Patrick Willocq (b. 1969) takes his images far from the usual hackneyed and clichéd depiction of the Congo (where he grew up) and brings a fresh interpretation of Africa.

Self-taught French photographer Patrick Willocq (b. 1969) has lived and worked for 34 years in diverse cities around the world, including Kinshasa, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Paris. He was shortlisted in the Professional Portraiture category of the 2016 Sony World Photography Awards with his series 'Wale 2eme Regard'. He first developed a love for the Democratic Republic of Congo whilst living there as a teenager. In 2012, following a trip back to the Congo, Patrick decided to devote himself entirely to photography after working for multinationals in Asia Pacific for over 20 years. Tired of images that stigmatised the nation, Patrick's work pays tribute to the "beauty, simplicity and dignity" of daily life in the D.R.C.Azu Nwagbogu is the founder and director of the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF), a non-profit organisation based in Lagos, Nigeria that is dedicated to the promotion and development of contemporary African arts and artists. The collector and curator is also the founder of numerous other projects supporting and celebrating African arts and phography, including the National Art Competition, LagosPhoto Festival and Art Base Africa, which is a new virtual space to discover and learn about contemporary African Art and diaspora.Alain Mingam is a photojournalist, exhibition organiser and agent, based in Paris, France.Laurence Butet-Roch is a Canadian freelance writer, photo editor and photographer.Martin Boilo Mbula is an ethnomusicologist and the director of the National Museum of Mbandaka in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).