Honorable Mention / 2023 / Portraiture / Culture

The Voodoo Wrestlers of Kinshasa

In the overpopulated and overwhelming suburbs of the Congolese capital, hidden behind decaying buildings and deafening traffic, a unique form of wrestling has become a local favorite.
The fights are drawing huge crowds going wild and the winner is announced only after the final …spell is cast.
An eye-popping spectacle of magic spells, wrestling techniques, splatter details and a cheerful crowd, all blended together in a strange fusion of absolute fun!
Choreographed fights or demonstration of witchcraft?
Voodoo or surrealism?
It sure is the Congolese adaptation of wrestling; Voodoo Wrestling.

Although a Civil Engineer by profession, he turned out to be an amateur travel photographer having traveled to numerous countries around the world such as Ethiopia, India, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Cote d'Ivoire, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bolivia, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Mali, Benin, Haiti, Cuba etc. His main goal is to capture the uniqueness of the local cultures and the life of the people in the most remote places of our world. Recently graduated Anthropology of Religions at UCLA.

Awards His pictures have been awarded multiple awards in many prestigious photo competitions and have been published in many books and magazines.
Best New Talent of the Year, PX3
Portraiture Photographer of the Year PX3
1st place, IPA awards
Discovery of the Year, Finalist, IPA awards
1st place, Chromatic Awards
Travel Photographer of the Year, Judges Choice
Numerous Honorable Mentions, IPA awards
Masters Cup, Honorable Mentions, Nominee
Exposure Awards, Finalist
Photographer’s Forum Magazine, Finalist
ND Awards, Honorable Mention
Global Photo Travel Contest, Honorable Mentions