FINE ART PRINT - LIMITED EDITION IN TIME
 
A limited selection of Vincent Tremeau’s iconic photos are now for sale. Editions are hand signed and numbered by Vincent.
 
The story behind the photo from Vincent's words:
 
The Game with Matches

Men play games with few matches while smoking, under the roof of Benakuna village’s chief during a storm, Kasaï region, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
I was taking some photos outside the village when the rain made me take refuge under a banana tree. As rain became storm, and my clothes became totally wet, Longo Jimbo – the head of the village – invited me to his house to wait for the storm to stop.
Once inside, and as Jimbo lighted a cigaret, I asked him if I could borrow him his matches so we could play a game that I used to play with my grand father when I was a kid. The storm wasn’t going to stop any time soon.

Here is the game : Two players. Make a pyramid with matches, displaying 1 match on the top, 3 matches on the second row, 5 on the third row and 7 on the last one. Each player can take as many matches as s/he wants when it is her/his turn, but only on one row. The one who picks the last match looses.

As time went by and cigarets were smoked, every men in the room played, resulting in intense concentration followed by great laughs once one was taking the last match. Eventually the rain stopped, and it was time to say good bye. As we were shaking hands, I thanked Jimbo for his hopsitality and he thanked me for teaching them that game.
Beyond raising awareness, I sometimes wonder if my work helps changing things for the people I portray. If I could not resolve the crisis, I would have at least brought the game with matches there.

Who wants to play ?