Slavery - Colonisation - Globalization - Cooperation - The concept of justice andfreedom has always been used by the most powerful to enslave others

Esclavage – Colonisation – Mondialisation – Cooperation – Le concept de justice et de liberte a toujours ete utilise par les plus puissants pour asservir les autres..

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Lino-cut print (brown ink on cardstock paper by S. Eric Dossou)

One of the translations of foreignness or “strangerness” can be phrased like this “trying to fit in 2 chairs” one is the fight to “adapt” the other is the “there is no place like home”. Seems like it is more comfortable to just sit on one of them. But is it really?

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Living in a foreign land is far from easy. Being far from home, friends, family and what seem to have shaped your personality makes one feel like he is out of place and will never fit in his adoptive environment. But it does not end there.

When you’ve lived away from the ones you were close with, and you get back home, you bring a kind of “foreign-ness” that can make still make you feel like a stranger.

Is there a way to fit in anywhere? I don’t want to get stuck by geographic location. I like Chicago, I love Cotonou.

Back home, I’ve often heard elders say: “When you don’t know where you are going, At least remember where you are from.”

I guess I can do that.

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Although I hate to think about the upcoming winter season, I love and enjoy Fall time. Why? Simply because not only is it nice out, but also because of the euphoria inspired by leaves falling from trees like the nature is trowing confettis at us, in a sort of celebration. Also, the vibrant colors of trees and streets almost allows us to be encouraged and have a subject of joy as we walk early in the morning to work or when we come back home at night…
(Too many) Days after being unable to shoot anything, I was decided to go out with my camera last weekend. Which I enjoyed a bunch. I am hoping to keep an habit of shooting for my own pleasure every weekend.
For now I’m keeping up with school, work and life; enjoying Fall and its colors. Until the next post… Take care. May God bless you.

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1. Pixel Africain (pixelafricain.com)
Is another blog I write 100% in French (I speak English as a second language.) This blog is dedicated to French-speaking African digital media arts and artists. On the long run I hope to gather a good network of professionals to develop and experiment new things with.

2. Afriches (afriches.org)
Afriches is made a up word to say “Africa’s Riches.” Afriches is a non-profit cultural organization aimed at supporting and promoting African Arts and Media in Chicago. I am a founder and Vice President of this organization.

3. Pixels For Food Project …
…is a context and art exhibit which goal is to showcase the latest African Digital Art inspirations and raise funds to help fight hunger in Somalia. Pixel For Food is a Project run by Afriches.org

4. Work.

I work as an Assistant Web Programmer and also as a French Tutor in the college I’m attending. Somehow, I still find time to do freelance photography and graphic Design gigs.

These are the reasons this blog is suffering but I’m not giving up!

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The Courier 2010 Feature, originally uploaded by Dossou.

Last year, I took part in the ACP The Courier’s (Magazine of African, Caribean and Pacific Cultures) 2010 Photo Contest.
I did not win but got selected and featured on their website’s Photo Gallery.
I did not know about it until yesterday, when I was browsing through their website. I must say I feel glad about it.
You can see the image > here<.

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Via Flickr:
While passing by a fast food restaurant window, I saw a charming camera sitting along with a cute white female. I had my camera on my backpack and thought I would take a picture. I made a big smile and ask if I could take a shot of her… I guess she thought I wanted her to take a picture of me. She refused while returning a kind smile as well.
When she noticed I was getting my camera out of my backpack she knew I was determined. I chose to respect her by not showing her face. I said thank you with my best smile… We couldn’t hear each other but it was quite an interesting moment.
I still think she would have been in panic if the window wasn’t inforcing her security perimeter… anyways…

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Last december I worked on a Personel Presentation project by Gazelle Touch. I was in charge of taking the portraits. Each individual was to be presented through 3 pictures. 1 headshot, on overall portrait (both in their culture’s outfit) and the third picture should show them in their daily working set.
The project was FUN yet exhausting.. Took 1 afternoon… BUT We’ve got interesting stuff. Visit the gazelletouch.com website for more information

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Espoir is a quite famous singer in Benin but what makes her special for RI that she had Polio when she was 5.
Her mother use to hide her from the rest of the world because she didn’t felt comfortable with the disease. She also forbid her from going to school…
I’ve had the opportunity to shoot Miss Espoir, a rising singer from Benin for the Rotary Ad campaign on their fight against Polio: “This Close” for the account of Gazelle Touch.

www.rotary.org/en/EndPolio/Pages/supporters.aspx
Backstories at on Facebook. and Gazelle Touch Blog

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-EN-
I have been back home in Cotonou for almost a month now and I recently have been hired as an intern a Gazelle Touch (3 days ago), one of the fastest growing creative studio and advertising agency based in Cotonou, Benin.
Probably the most professional and effective place I’ve worked at until now. Check their portfolio at gazelletouch.com.
I’m mostly doing graphic design work with a heavy load of visual communication.
The beginning is overwhelming but I think things should be fine. Will tell more about it soon.
Until then, Shalom!

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