Laura Henno
N°001 Djoubi et sa meute
N°001 Djoubi et sa meute is part of a series of photographs by Laura Henno titled Ge Ouryao!. This particular work depicts a young man named Djoubi posing proudly, surrounded by his pack of dogs, along the shoreline of Mayotte. Although Djoubi was born in Mayotte, his parents are undocumented migrants, so he is also considered ‘illegal’ under state law. The isolated staging of the photograph is purposely intended to allude to the peripheral nature of Djoubi’s status. Along with a number of other undocumented boys and men, he is part of a gang that calls itself the Bouchemen, a reference to the indigenous bushmen of southern Africa. They live on the beach in a Banga, a makeshift shack, protected by their herd of dogs. Aged between 10 and 20 years old, they survive on the fringes of society. Many are orphans or arrived on the island without their parents, some are alone because their parents were deported. The gang creates its own community guidelines; Djoubi is one of three men who manages and trains the dogs.
For this project, Henno followed the Bouchemen for four or five hours each day, sometimes filming or photographing them, but often just sharing moments as they strolled along the beaches or fed from the nearby coconut or banana trees. The title of the project, Ge Ouryao! [Why Are You Scared!] is an expression that the Bouchemen use to provoke passers-by. It is a way of mocking the locals who fear the group and consider them delinquents. But the expression also reflects the pressure on the boys to grow up fast, to become tough while living on the margins of a society that largely rejects them. Henno’s photographic series subverts stereotypes and restores dignity, agency, and even greatness to the boys and men, as they live in a state of ostracization and uncertainty. The series also reflects the larger political situation and is evocative of the tension around illegal immigration in Mayotte; their post-colonial history; and the idea of a fifth island, which for the islanders symbolizes France, or the aspiration to become French—a promise of a better quality of life.