Kinshasa, 2009

A word about the work

Autumn 2009. Dusk in Matete, one of the neighbourhoods in Kinshasa that has the most wrestlers. « City Train » (on the left in a white t-shirt) gets his nickname from one of the city’s public transport companies and refers to his 440 lbs of muscle and tenderness. He is training, as he does everyday with his friends, in this unlikely gym in the small courtyard of his house. With his cavernous voice and distinct taste for Primus, kinois beer, he is one of the local stars. Behind the blue tarp (in the background), he has set up a small business with a tv and video games for young people.

I love this atmosphere. The sportsmen train in the midst of kitchen equipment, bowls, buckets. They lift weights and encourage each other.
City Train was one of the first wrestlers that I met, he’s one of the main figures of Kinois wrestling. When he’s in the ring, he holds his opponents aloft before throwing them over the ropes, which always really impresses the crowds.

Jean-Denis’s choice

Documentary wealth and esthetic power. You can really feel the atmosphere of an ordinary evening in Kinshasa. A whole host of details and the spellbinding light carry this image.