Aka Zidane

Who are the Ronaldo, Messi, and Zidane that I meet in Africa?
By juxtaposing these doubles of world-famous footballers with the ordinary or tragic situations of several countries on the continent, the photographic series Aka Zidane (Also Known As Zidane), tells us that other games are being played there. Ronaldinho, the Brazilian striker, is in the hospital in Bangui where his friend has just died in his arms. In Libya, Olivier Giroud, the Arsenal striker, is imprisoned before he can board a plane to Europe.
Under these aliases, and by diverting the codes of journalistic narration, Aka Zidane gives us a glimpse of the place and magnitude of men’s and women’s lives hidden under the soccer shirts.

Michaël Zumstein