Out of Africa

Standing in stark contrast to the perfectly white walls which
frame them are images of death, blood and cruelty incomparable to
anything most Americans have ever seen.

These photographs were taken by Jean-Marc Bouju, a two-time
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, and capture the everyday lives
of citizens of Rwanda during the genocide and civil war in 1994.
But the photos don’t stop there: Bouju conveys seven years of
strife and combat all over Africa, including an eight-month journey
with rebels across then-Zaire as they overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko,
as well as the U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania by Osama
bin Laden’s followers. “African Exposure” is the
first exhibit of this photojournalist’s work and is now on
display through March 28 at The Perfect Exposure Gallery in Los
Angeles.

One startling example is a series of six photographs titled
“Execution,” which documents the brief period before
one man’s death as he is pulled from a line of surrendering
soldiers, forced into an alley and shot ““ all within a matter
of seconds. For images like these, Bouju stood just feet away from
death and disaster in order to capture the moments on film.

“The other photographers with me took cover behind the
rebels,” said Bouju when he was nominated for the 1999
Pulitzer Prize. “I stayed where I was, just a few yards from
the man.”

Many photographers have the additional inner struggle between
shooting pictures or actively helping subjects in horrifying
situations such as these. Bouju recognizes this dilemma, but says
that getting lost in the photography prevents him from even
thinking about intervening, let alone the danger he might be in
himself.

“Being super busy delays any kind of thinking
process,” he said. “It hits you more when you stop
working.”

Though it would seem difficult to portray any optimism during a
period of genocide and civil war, Bouju has also been recognized
for his uplifting visions of hope. For example, “Catherine
and Jean” shows a mother severely wounded in the Aug. 7, 1998
U.S. Embassy bombing beaming with joy after giving birth to her
daughter, and another photo series portrays the elation of 132
Africans being freed from slavery after a missionary bought their
liberty for $100 per person.

A traveling man, Bouju began working as a French teacher in his
native France, then moved on to Scotland and later ended up at the
University of Texas. It was there that Bouju enrolled as a student
so he could become a staff photographer on the school’s
newspaper.

Craving more real world experience, Bouju set out with a few of
his friends to Central America with only $500 apiece, staying for
three weeks. He sometimes slept outside, and took pictures of
everything from refugees living in the forest in Mexico to the
political events of El Salvador.

Bouju’s love for capturing moments of life on film has
developed over the years since he joined The Associated Press in
1993, which gave him the opportunity to travel around Africa.
According to Bouju, he worked 12- to 16-hour days photographing
everything he could. This work eventually paid off with Pulitzer
Prizes in both 1995 and 1999.

It was during his time in Rwanda that Bouju met his wife Karin,
a writer for The Associated Press who happened to be covering
stories in the same place. Together the couple has a 4-year-old
daughter.

Although some may be shocked or queasy when looking at images
such as “Sick Woman,” “Political Beating”
and “Burning Bodies” (which shows a pile of bloody
limbs detached from unrecognizable faces burning next to a
triumphant-looking soldier), Bouju’s work provides a
perspective on the world beyond Southern California.

The Perfect Exposure Gallery is located at 3513 W. 6th St. and
is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no
admission fee. For more information, call (213) 381-1137 or visit
theperfectexposure.com.