For me, it opens a broad spectrum of reflection about the image of Africa -- how is Africa represented, has been represented, has been broadcasted, has been framed and photographed, i want to break the cliche. ... To make people maybe understand that Africa is not an exotic idea. It's not just a mask that you can just put in your house as a decoration.

Photographer Selim Harbi

Categorized in : World

It's more than a mask. ... I discovered that it's symbolic, it's groups of people that are living through these masks, and they have a significance -- a social and cultural meaning and significance.

Photographer Selim Harbi

world

After a while, I had a selection of like 20 masks with different significances and meanings, and I just tried to begin to play with that, i took the masks and when I met people, I made an appointment with them and I tried to explain to them: 'Do you mind if I take a picture (of you) with this mask? Because I think that the meaning of this mask is a little bit similar to your life, to your profile.'.

Photographer Selim Harbi

world

'You are twins, and for me the moon and the sun are like twins,' 'After the sun, there's always the moon, and after the moon, there's always a sun. One cannot live without the other and they are always linked forever.' And they liked the idea, the poetry of this idea.

Photographer Selim Harbi

world

The way that Africa is divided now as countries doesn't reflect the reality of the tribes and the geographic and social organizations and countries, to see behind the mask is not just seeing the people behind the masks, (it's) seeing Africa differently.

Photographer Selim Harbi

world

I think that we, North Africans, ... we look always north, north, north, we have a lot of things to win and to understand and to gain (by) looking south. ... To go and meet people and understand them and work with them. ... (Africa is) a part of our identity and I think it's time to look south and to re-explore narratives, to tell stories differently, to play with form. There (are) no rules.

Photographer Selim Harbi

world