ARSÈNE MPIANA MONKWE:
There is Something in the Water
“In 2016, I had an accident while playing in the river. My father told me I would never die in the water because of our connection with it. The crocodile is our family totem, we are always protected.”
Arsène Mpiana Monkwe is a man of many forms. He is a son of a stern but kind soldier, a husband, a teacher, a friend, a custodian of family history and through his lens, he is an explorer. Revealing the untold stories of Kinshasa and the contested terrains of the Congolese countryside.
The formidable crocodile can explode flashlights with just its eyes - at least, that’s the legend in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Along the Congo River, Banunu fishermen remain attached to these myths, even if their traditions and means of subsistence no longer have anything to do with what they once were.
The Libinza, a tribe related to the Banunu-Bobangi, who have lived on the banks of the river since the 18th century, are known for their extraordinary superstitions in fishing and hunting. Banunu fishermen often inherit ancestral spears and totems that are supposed to have a spiritual meaning.
They remember the time when crocodile hunting was lucrative, when the DRC was called Zaire, between 1971 and 1997. the crocodile skin was wanted for its supposed miraculous qualities, such as the protection of families against evil spirits, but also for its use in the fashion industry. Today, the sale of wild crocodile skins "is prohibited" to preserve the species.
The DRC is a place shrouded with mystery and mythology, simultaneously veiled by what we in Africa consider the resource curse. In a simple definition, when it is discovered that a third world country has something valuable buried in the ground, it will somehow trigger a civil unrest and intervention from the West. Monkwe’s contribution is one of clarity and depth, going where few photographers have gone, into the wilds of Congo and perhaps time-space itself.
“Photography is a tool to think about the past, present and future. What interests me is the possibility to reconnect to my identity. Photography helps me to know myself.”
As a photojournalist and the head of the photography department at the Académie des Beaux-Arts de Kinshasa, he is responsible for depicting the realities of the DRC and shaping the minds of young future image-makers.
It goes without saying, in order for anything to exist one must begin. This sentiment reigns true when considering the photographic landscape of Congo. “The most important thing is that we’re doing something. We don’t have a crew here in Kinshasa, the Académie is a space for photographers to create.”
His practice is guided by an intuition and quiet observation of the environments and people he chooses to photograph. Arsene has the ability to centre himself in the scenes of intense movement and offer a moment of stillness.
In the photo essay, Calvaire, Monkwe spent a week aboard ‘Miracle de Dieu’ (God’s Miracle) travelling from Kinshasa to Lukolela, along the powerful Congo River. The series documents the journey experienced by many Congolese people trying to make a living on the river, the second longest in Africa following the Nile. These trips, usually overloaded with people, merchandise and fish, are filled with young people who have to participate in fishing and trade to make ends meet. We are jostled into witnessing the urgency of climate change in series such as Calvaire and Epela - showing the aftermath of the heavy floods that happened in Congo in November 2023. Monkwe’s lens remains focused, as the rains continue to pour and the night covers the rising tides.
Explaining what master photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson coined as the decisive moment, he achieves his images through the act of patience and careful consideration.
“I can’t describe it, it’s like a flash…boom!
It could be the light or the colours, when I see something interesting I will stand there and wait.”
When the narrative of a place like the DRC has been reduced to one dimension by war and instability, the role of the photographer is not to assimilate but to question the status quo. “It is important when I photograph, to do so without stereotypes. Especially when photographing black African people. Some of my works, I never show because that is not how I want people to be seen.” He says. It is through this principle thinking that we can be presented with work that has a universality of experience,
“I may be a witness of the DRC, but the DRC is in the world. What I say here
must resonate with people who are elsewhere in the world.”
Whether the focus is on a 90 year old hunter, who can summon crocodiles with a call or a voyage into a personal history through the use of a family archive, Monkwe is providing a deeper context. “Where I’m from, these are simple stories but outside of here, no one has ever heard of it.”
“Your own story is original because it is untold.”
Images courtesy of the artist ©Arsène Mpiana Monkwe
