Paul Kodjo was born in 1939 in Banco\u2019s forest, in Abidjan. His father was Ivorian and his mother Ghanaian. He became in the 60s one of the most famous Ivorian photographer but somehow he never kept his films. He abandoned about 30 000 negatives in a storage box he gave to Ananias L\u00e9ki Dago in 2008. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sine the end of the carrer in the 90s and his move to Ghana – where he grew up with his grand-mother after his mother death when he was 5 years old -, time, insects and humidity destroyed what remains from the \u00ab Ivorian miracle \u00bb of the 70s. \u00ab I only saved about 10% of what he gave me \u00bb, explained Ananias L\u00e9ki Dago who initiated a long and tedious restauration work, which was finally a success.
The Quai Branly Museum awarded by Ananias L\u00e9ki Dago of the necessity to save this Ivorian patrimony, produced 34 photographs and acquired it in April 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul Kodjo immortalized the youth who enjoyed the brand new independence. \u00ab We discover a country, different atmospheres from the ones shot in Mali by Malick Sidib\u00e9, explain Ananias L\u00e9ki Dago. There is more liberty in women\u2019s outfits, in between lovers, in the way people are dancing and holding their partners\u2026Paul Kodjo gives us a precious historic and social testimony. \u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However the greatest singularity in Paul Kodjo\u2019s approach comes from his cinematographic gaze – he studied at the Independent French Cinema Conservatory – as witnessed his romans-photos series, produced for the weekly newspaper Ivoire Dimanche. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-3868","artiste","type-artiste","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n