Fischer in Senegal (Swiss Stories 2013, by Christian Bobst) - Swiss Press Award
Die Südostschweiz am Sonntag
Christian Bobst
In April 2012, I traveled to the Ferlo Desert in Senegal on behalf of the Swiss aid organization HEKS to document various aid projects. On the last day of my assignment, the sky was saturated with sand from the Sahara, bathing the landscape in a soft, sepia-toned light, which I used to photograph a series about the cattle farmers in the barren region. The next day, we returned to Dakar, 500 km away. To my surprise, I found the same light there, bathing the city in a surreal, sepia-toned atmosphere. Since I still had a few days to spare, I decided to use this special light to photograph a portrait of the fishermen in Dakar, who had fascinated me during my research on Senegal prior to the trip. The next day, I set off for Mbour, 80 km away, to photograph fishermen on a beach with somewhat different characteristics. On the morning of the third day, there were strong waves, and the fishermen weren't going out to sea. I photographed some of them washing their sheep on the beach. The next day, the skies were clear again, and my reportage was over.
