Page 31 - DIVA_No.23_2006

development that I did not soon going to publish another where I will do an exhibition of
understand before. I was an book It seems that you are my photos .This time, my wife
"ecologist" and my main con- also involved in a lot of other will come with me and we'll
cerns were more about saving things. Would you mind telling spend four days of holiday there.
the hippopotamus, stopping us some more about what you
deforestation, etc. Today, I real- are doing? Q: Ifyou do have a message you
ize that the person really in dan- would like to pass on to our
ger is the human-being. In fact, this year I have already readers, what would it be?
finished two books. One book Plantations
around
So, it is true that we are now is about France and the other First of all, I do not in general Timbuktu, Mali
coming to understand that this about Algeria. Algeria means a pass on messages. However, I
huge concept of sustainable lot to the French as there has think it is very important to have Located between the
development is what comes first: been a long and painful history a strong commitment and con- Saharan and the Sahel
eradicating poverty. Poverty is between the two countries. I victions. When you have a strong zone, Timbuktu has clay
lack of education, people starv- loved this type of work, as it is conviction and you defend it Soils, its daytime temper-
ing, and people without work. bringing people together. with honesty, it is quite easy to atures races 50°C, and
We have to resolve all of this if Today, Algeria is a rather closed pass on the message. I think that
rainfall approaches 150
we are going to live together. country and I was the first one politicians and people who sit on Millimetres per year.
to be allowed to photograph it. international committees have
Needless to say, agricul-
Nobody had seen this kind of stronger personal ambition than
Q: How are you able to con- ture is a challenge. Belts
photo from Algeria before. I am they have convictions. This is, in
tribute to disaster prevention? offruits frees and fences
very satisfied with the result my sense, one of the reasons why create protection and sta-
and proud of having been there very often we do not succeed.
Photographing the effects of dis- Look at the United Nations as an bilise dunes. Vegetation
asters and damaged sites enables to take these photos. illustration of how difficult this can root itself in small
me to raise public awareness. If the Algerians have invited me is, despite the fact that the UN is adjacent plots of lands, a
The more people are mobilized, meter wide, where water
to come and take photos, it the only international forum
the more public opinion may implies that they are opening up capable of acting as a watch-dog is used sparingly. With
have on decision makers. We to the outside world. I am very for the world. It is not normal, care and attention these
must not forget the fact that the pleased to be a kind of hyphen, for instance, that as of today only gardens can withstand
dams breaking in New Orleans extreme weather condi-
could have been prevented. As in my own way, between two one-third of the US$500 million tions, producing vegeta-
people who does not really promised in assistance to the vic-
more and more people live in bles such as peas, beans,
know each other very well. It is tims of the earthquake in
favellas on the hills in Rio, they true that I do a lot of things. At Pakistan has been donated. For lentils, green beans, cab-
become more vulnerable to mud- bage, Lettuces for local
this very moment, we are work- me, this is a scandal, especially
slides. In France, one commune populations who other-
ing on a huge operation in when oil prices have increased
in three is at risk from flooding. France. We are sending out free tremendously over the last year wise suffer from a lack of
One could cite dozens of exam- vitamins and Mineral
of charge 2 million posters and some countries have become
ples. salts. Such community
explaining to children about extremely rich.
plantations in the dunes
sustainable development—at
Q: Why are you collaborating last one for each school. I am In particular, I also think about offer a way of coping
with the advancing sand
with ISDR? very engaged in this kind of politicians being governed by desert, pushed by the
project informing the general voters, that is, the general public.
Harmattan wind from the
Because the work of ISDR is public and making them aware In my opinion, I think that it is
indispensable. We must prevent of the importance of sustainable necessary today for convictions Sahara each year, threat-
ening to bury Timbuktu
disasters before they happen and development. It also tells them to come from the grass-roots and its national heritage.
reduce their impact. about our responsibilities—not level. This would incite the
While desertification is a
to mention those of the politi- politicians to have convictions
threat, there are tested,
Q: What is your main motiva- cians. too. Politicians are no different local practices, which
tion? from you and me. If the masses
can
use
natural
Q: But you do not "do" poli- do not have convictions and
Motivation to change. When I tics? something to fight for, the politi- resources to retard ero-
sion and provide nour-
was young I was very ambitious; cians don't either.
ishment at the same time.
I wanted to succeed. When you Not at all. But perhaps one
succeed, you realize that success could say that I do it my way. We live in a democracy. The
in your professional life does not
courageous people who would
mean that you have succeeded in Q: It seems as jfyou have been like to change the world for a
your life as a man. That is some- everywhere. Is there anyplace better one are never listened to
thing different. My ambition you have not been? for the simple reason that the
today is perhaps to succeed in decisions implied might be diffi-
my life as a man, both in the There are a lot of places that I cult to make. My message is,
family and professionally, by have not visited: China, Saudi
look at the photos and try to learn
giving sense to my work. It is Arabia, in the middle of Africa
something from it. If you have
perhaps an impossible ambi- You cannot go everywhere. learned something, it is already a
tion—the "Graal". My next trip will be to Armenia positive sign in itself.
Q: I have heard that you are
12006 Diva 29