Pascal Mannaerts, the current prodigy | TV5MONDE

Meghwal woman from Kutch region in Gujarat, India © Pascal Mannaerts

From India to photography

Once upon a time there was a first trip to India, in 2000, with the old reflexes of his father. “I was studying law in Belgium, and India surprised me, what a tsunami.” With life ahead of him and with his feet on the ground, Pascal worked for almost ten years with asylum seekers in Brussels and dreamed of leaving once he had some time off. Many departures then followed: Peru, Mali, SenegalTibet, Brazil, Cuba, MongoliaUzbekistan etc… and India permanent.

“In India there is the whole world.”

The chief of the Karo tribe in the village of Korcho, in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia © Pascal Mannaerts
The chief of the Karo tribe in the village of Korcho, in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia © Pascal Mannaerts

While traveling, his photography learning was forged over the years, according to encounters and kilometers traveled.

“It was very important for me to adapt, live as much as the locals, eat like them, ride the same transportation with them. I always work like this. Travel is not a vacation. I don’t go to rest but to feel alive! I also think it’s a way of respecting the country you’re visiting.”

Pascal in 2015 in Vrindavan during Holi, India ©Pascal Mannaerts
Pascal in 2015 in Vrindavan during Holi, India ©Pascal Mannaerts

Driven by immense curiosity, the desire to move and not return to the norm, the passionate self-taught decided to devote his life to photography. He left the comforts of his life in Brussels and took the initiative of his journey in the hope that it would be published at the end of the race.

“That path is no longer enough for me, I need to be creative and share. Otherwise, things are just lived. ”

Be happy for a moment. This moment is your life. – Omar Khayyam

Young monk in Battambang, Cambodia © Pascal Mannaerts
Young monk in Battambang, Cambodia © Pascal Mannaerts

This artist inhabited by humanity and boundless joy offers us photos that are vivid and powerful. You can see the flame he lit in the eyes of the people he met on his travels. “Sit down and enjoy a simple moment, exchange glances, then start the discussion. In times like these, many things happen. It’s very free. Nothing was pre-planned in reality.”

And this is what characterizes Pascal’s work and makes it successful: his freedom!

A trip to Peru © Pascal Mannaerts
In Peru © Pascal Mannaerts

After several publications in prestigious titles – National Geographic, BBC or Geo -, publisher Hachette devoted a book to him a few years later, “Parchemins d’Ailleurs”, the fruit of his explorations around the world.

Images to convey, make people think, move

“Over time, I needed to dig into the subject, to give meaning to my photos.”

Pascal bears witness to many realities. Everywhere there is life to tell, but he always tries a place where community is forgotten. It is proven by the portraits of women in India which he highlights for their daily struggles.

Qashqai nomadic family, Iran © Pascal Mannaerts
Qashqai nomadic family, Iran © Pascal Mannaerts
We also took note of his excellent report in Ethiopiaduring the Ukuli ritual, specifically for the Hamer people, who live in the Omo Valley, in the south of the country.

“There are so many prejudices and misunderstandings while on the other side of the glass there are only people and extraordinary discoveries. And finally an affinity that we don’t know about in Europe. There is a gap between what we hear and what we experience. And travel plays the role of a bridge between people.”

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