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Hostile visual encounters: fighting to control photographic meaning in the DRC's digital age

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2019

Aubrey P. Graham
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Abstract

On 16 July 2013, Simone Schlindwein, a German journalist, used her mobile phone to photograph a conflict-related image in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that later contributed to local riots and to her hasty exit across the border. From the ‘front’, she uploaded the photograph to her Twitter account and caused a melee of virtual and on-the-ground controversy that at record speed came to involve the United Nations, members of the Congolese diaspora, the Congolese army, the M23 rebel army propaganda office, and the residents of the region. This article starts from her image to ethnographically examine the resulting events and responses, both online and in the city of Goma. In so doing, it engages the heated regional debate as to whether the image was objectively captured or if the violence depicted was simply ‘playing for the camera’. Addressing the simultaneous online movement of the image through social media and news sites, the article argues that the combination of the socio-political climate, conflict and the uncontrollable narrative of the image created a perfect storm in which the entangled regional politics suddenly became visible.

Résumé

Le 16 juillet 2013, Simone Schlindwein, journaliste allemande, a utilisé son téléphone portable pour photographier en République démocratique du Congo une image de conflit qui a contribué par la suite à des émeutes locales et l'a contrainte à quitter le pays précipitamment. Alors qu'elle était sur le front, elle a chargé la photo sur son compte Twitter et déclenché toute une controverse (virtuelle et sur le terrain) qui a fini par impliquer à vitesse record les Nations Unies, des membres de la diaspora congolaise, l'armée congolaise, le bureau de la propagande de l'armée rebelle M23 et les habitants de la région. Cet article part de l'image pour examiner ethnographiquement les événements et les réactions qui en ont résulté, tant en ligne que dans la ville de Goma. Ce faisant, il participe au débat passionné régional sur la question de savoir si l'image était capturée objectivement ou si la violence affichée n’était rien d'autre qu'un « show devant l'objectif ». Traitant du parcours simultané de l'image en ligne sur les réseaux sociaux et les sites d'information, l'article soutient que le climat sociopolitique, le conflit et le récit incontrôlable de l'image ont convergé pour créer une tempête parfaite au cœur de laquelle est soudain apparu le bourbier politique régional.

Type
Photographies in Africa in the digital age
Information
Africa , Volume 89 , Issue 2 , May 2019 , pp. 266 - 285
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2019 

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