LOBA 2016 (4/12)

On 28 September, the awards ceremony for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award will take place as part of the European Month of Photography in Berlin. For the first time, Leica will present all winning and shortlisted series in a major exhibition, displayed at the Neue Schule für Fotografie (New School for Photography) in Berlin for the duration of the festival from 29 September to 23 October 2016.

Until the winners of the main and newcomer award have been revealed, we will take a look at the twelve submissions that have made it onto the shortlist – presenting one series each day. Today: CAR Crisis by William Daniels.

The Central African Republic (CAR) is often overlooked, unless a bloody conflict has erupted once again. The French photographer, William Daniels, chooses to travel there at those times when public interest has waned, to carefully look around following the last civil war – and probably before the next one. Once a French colony, the Central African Republic has been independent since 1960 – first as a republic, then as an empire, then a republic once again. Finally, since the overthrow of President François Bozizé on 24 March, 2013, CAR seems to be sinking inexorably into a maelstrom of violence. What began as a coup quickly escalated into a bloody conflict between Christians and Muslims.