Awards
AFP’s Guerchom Ndebo crowned winner of the Avenir Photo section of the Albert Kahn Prize
Guerchom Ndebo won the prize for his portfolio of 20 photos portraying the eruption of the Nyiragongo Volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Albert Kahn awards were presented on December 8, 2021.
Lava from the eruption reached the suburbs of Goma, destroying 17 villages, with 20,000 people left homeless and 400,000 evacuated.
After studying communications at university, Guerchom set about perfecting his photography skills by working with the photographer Finbarr O’Reilly and the Carmignac Foundation on a project in the Congo. After the “Congo in Conversation” exhibition organised by the Carmignac Prize in Paris, he worked for Getty Images in eastern DRC on news such as the assassination of the Italian ambassador in February 2021. He joined AFP in May 2021, covering the Nyiragongo eruption and seeing his work republished around the world, notably in the New York Times, CNN, RFI, USA Today. He continues to work with NGOs including the United Nations.
Supported by Canon, this prize is awarded annually by the Planète Albert Kahn association at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris. The award honours people whose work, behaviour and open-mindedness has contributed to fraternity between people and a better knowledge of our planet.