Latest news with #Franco-Brazilian
LeMonde
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Sebastiao Salgado, photographer of the extraordinary, has died at 81
Until Sebastiao Salgado, many believed Edward Steichen's 1955 exhibition "The Family of Man"– a unifying portrait of humanity – would forever remain the world's most popular photography show, with its 10 million visitors. But the Franco-Brazilian photography superstar eventually surpassed his predecessor with "Genesis," a black-and-white ode to the untouched beauty of the planet before human destruction: graceful penguins and impenetrable forests – a show that has toured the globe for over 12 years. In fact, both projects share a universal vision and much in common. With the death of Salgado on Friday, May 23, from leukemia, one of the last heirs to humanist photography passed away. Throughout his life, he sought to condemn social and environmental injustices, while celebrating faith in humanity through sweeping global photographic narratives. "I simply want those who look at my photos to feel that people are noble everywhere," he told Le Monde.
Euronews
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
When Sebastião Salgado explained his 'Genesis' to Euronews Culture
The famous Franco-Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado's exhibition Genesis toured the world for more than six years - a sign of its popularity but also the impact of his incredible work. Euronews Culture caught up with the photographer when the spectacular show was on display at La Sucrière de Lyon, a former sugar factory and warehouse that has now become an exhibition space. Genesis is a photographic tribute to the planet comprising more than 200 black and white photographs. It was the result of eight years work and some 30 trips around the world. Raised on a farm in Brazil, Salgado had a deep love and respect for nature. But he was also particularly sensitive to the ways in which human beings are affected by their often-devastating socio-economic conditions. He produced numerous works over a career spanning many decades, such as the long-term project Workers (1993) which documented the vanishing way of life of manual labourers across the world. Or Migrations (2000) - a tribute to mass migration driven by hunger, natural disasters, environmental degradation and demographic pressure. And then Genesis, his 'love letter to the planet'. The exhibition was the result of an epic eight-year expedition to rediscover mountains, deserts, oceans, and the animals and peoples that had, up to that point, escaped the imprint of modern society. It depicted the land and life of a still-pristine planet. The project, along with the Salgados' Instituto Terra, are dedicated to showing the beauty of our planet, reversing the damage done to it, and preserving it for the future. Salgado travelled by foot, light aircraft, seagoing vessels, canoes, and even balloons, through extreme heat and cold and in sometimes dangerous conditions to create a collection of images showing nature, animals, and indigenous peoples in breath-taking beauty. Using only black-and-white photography, he created a visual ensemble with such an extreme precision, that even the smallest details seem to infinitely develop. "You know, when you look at an exhibition like Genesis, it's really the earth, the animals connected to the earth and also Man" explained Sebastião Salgado. "I'm still taking photographs of humankind. I've just finished seven years working in the Amazon with indigenous communities. Mankind, he's an animal of this earth, an animal like any other, we're in the animal kingdom." Black and white photography has become the photographer's trademark. He explained why he decided not to use colour photography. "In 1986, I did a story in Brazil which was published in 1987 about a gold mine there, it was because of this gold mine story that all magazines went back to doing black and white," he said. "This story was so strong, it was widely published by large magazines, which increased my visibility to such an extent that at the time there was a big return to black and white photographs. I have much to be grateful for this return to black and white, because I've stayed in black and white ever since and never returned to colour." If the environment is now on everybody's radar, for Salgado, little has changed. He believes Mankind needs to go back to nature and make a spiritual return to the planet. He says efforts so far to save the planet have been resoundingly unsuccessful. "We have COP 21 that took place in Paris five years ago and despite everything that was put forward, nothing was done," he says. "Do you know why? Because we don't invite real people, we don't invite people who are linked to the earth, to the planet, it's a meeting of urban people." The Amazon remains his favorite territory. With his wife Leila, who is also the curator of 'Genesis, he took on a colossal challenge 20 years ago. He decided to replant the trees that had disappeared from the 750 hectares of his father's former farm. He wanted to revive the ecosystem in a region hit by deforestation and intensive land use. "We planted 2.5 million trees, even a little more maybe 2.7 million trees and we are now preparing to plant one million more trees, in addition to those already planted," he explains. "Because, you know, before the land was tired, dead, destroyed and now the land is rich again. It's time to plant trees that will be there for 500 years, 1,000 years, trees that need good soil, and shade to grow." Sebastião Salgado died on Friday 23 May, 2025. This article was originally published on 20 February 2020. The US singer-songwriter, Billy Joel, has been diagnosed with a brain disorder that's forced him to cancel all his upcoming concerts across North America and England. Joel used his Instagram to reveal that he has Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a fluid buildup in his brain that affects his "hearing, vision and balance". 'This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, according to a statement from Joel's team. 'Under his doctor's instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period.' In an accompanying statement, Joel said, 'I'm sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding.' A post shared by Billy Joel (@billyjoel) In March, 'The Piano Man' and 'Uptown Girl' singer announced that he underwent surgery and had to undergo physical therapy. A statement at the time said doctors expected him to make a full recovery. It is unclear if his medical issues at the time were related to Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. The condition can cause problems with walking, bladder control and thinking, with symptoms worsening if left untreated. It's relatively rare and can be hard to diagnose. It can be treated successfully with surgery to install a tube to drain excess fluid. Patients may need physical therapy in addition to surgery. Joel, 76, wrapped up his decadelong residency at Madison Square Garden in July 2024 and continued to tour. His planned summer stops included shows at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field in New York, and MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Tickets for all the shows will be refunded.
Local France
27-02-2025
- Local France
French court sentences Tunisian to life for knife attack
Brahim Aouissaoui, 25, this week admitted he was responsible for the attack but claimed he did not remember exactly what happened. The murderous rampage on October 29, 2020, was one of a number of deadly incidents in France that have been blamed on Islamist radicals since 2015. According to prosecutors, armed with a kitchen knife, Aouissaoui almost decapitated Nadine Vincent, a 60-year-old worshipper, stabbed 44-year-old Franco-Brazilian mother Simone Barreto Silva around 25 times, and slit the throat of sacristan Vincent Loques, 55, a father of two. The verdict is in line with requests from prosecutors who had asked for a life sentence without the possibility of parole, the most severe punishment under French law. Aouissaoui has claimed the killings were 'legitimate' revenge for 'the West' killing 'innocent' Muslims. One of the public prosecutors said earlier on Wednesday the defendant was inhabited by 'jihadist ideology'. 'It's not terrorism,' the accused cried out, prompting his own lawyer to ask him to be quiet. Aouissaoui was seriously wounded when police shot him after the attack, and previously insisted he did not remember anything at all. But his medical examination did not reveal any brain damage and a psychiatric assessment concluded that there was no impairment of his judgement at the time of the events. Aouissaoui arrived in Europe from Tunisia the month before the attack, first crossing the Mediterranean to Italy and then going to France overland. On the morning of the attack, he entered the Basilica of Notre-Dame in the heart of Nice, carrying a copy of the Koran, three knives and two mobile phones, according to prosecutors. He hails from a large family in the Tunisian city of Sfax. His mother said he repaired motorcycles and described how he had taken to prayer in the years before he left. Prosecutors said he had consumed alcohol and smoked cannabis before he became radicalised in late 2018.
The Guardian
26-02-2025
- The Guardian
Tunisian man who killed three people in Nice in terror attack given life sentence
A Tunisian man who fatally stabbed three people in a terrorist attack at a church in Nice, almost decapitating one victim, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in France. Brahim Aouissaoui, 25, had told the special court in Paris he had no recollection of the attack in October 2020. He later admitted he was taking revenge on 'you [westerners] who kill Muslims every day'. Armed with a kitchen knife, Aouissaoui almost decapitated 60-year-old Nadine Devillers, stabbed Franco-Brazilian care worker Barereto Silva, 44, and slit the throat of church worker Vincent Loqués, 55, at the Notre-Dame basilica. He was convicted of the three murders as well as six attempted murders. On Wednesday the court made the rare decision to give him the maximum sentence of life imprisonment with almost no chance of parole for the attack described in the trial as one of 'unusual savagery'. The president of the court, Christophe Petiteau, described the murders as 'very violent' and said the sentence reflected the judges' verdict that Aouissaoui presented a 'too high risk' of reoffending. Petiteau described Brahim Aouissaoui as 'an extremely dangerous man' whose 'intention to kill could not be disputed'. His actions could not be described as being the result of a spontaneous 'mad act', the judges added. The investigating magistrate said Aouissaoui had described France as 'a country of miscreants and dogs' and said he was determined to 'sow terror'. The court was told that Aouissaoui had dropped out of school in Turkey at the age of 13 and was drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis at the time. He was radicalised at the end of 2018. In a closing address to the special court, the counsel for the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office said he was 'locked into his totalitarian and barbaric fanaticism'. He added: 'The attack was in reality the culmination of a jihadist commitment born in Tunisia.' It took seven police officers to arrest Aouissaoui, who was shot several times. Afterwards, officers said he was carrying a copy of the Qur'an, three knives and two mobile phones. According to the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office there were 'many indications that at the time he left Tunisia … the accused intended to carry out an attack in France'. A national day of mourning was held for the three victims. The killings came two weeks after the history-geography teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded near his secondary school north-west of Paris by an 18-year-old Chechen refugee angered at reports he had shown pupils caricatures of the prophet Muhammad in a lesson on freedom of speech. Aouissaoui had crossed the Mediterranean from Tunisia to Italy a month before the attack and then entered France overland.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Yahoo
Tunisian on trial in France over deadly 2020 Nice church attack
A Tunisian man goes on trial Monday for stabbing three people to death in a church in the southern French city of Nice in 2020 as part of a "terrorist" plot. Brahim Aouissaoui, 25, is accused of being behind the murderous rampage on October 29, 2020. It was the latest in a number of deadly attacks in France since 2015 blamed on Islamist radicals and which put the country on its highest terror alert. Aouissaoui is being tried at a special court in Paris and faces life in jail if convicted. Armed with a kitchen knife, he almost decapitated Nadine Vincent, a 60-year-old worshipper, and stabbed 44-year-old Franco-Brazilian mother Simone Barreto Silva 24 times and slit the throat of the sacristan Vincent Loques, 55, a father of two daughters. Seriously injured by police officers after his attack, Brahim Aouissaoui insists that he does not remember anything. However, his medical examination did not reveal any brain damage and the psychiatric assessment concluded that there was no impairment of his judgement at the time of the events. His telephone conversations in prison have also shown "that his alleged amnesia was at the very least very exaggerated", according to the prosecution. His behaviour is a "fictitious amnesia" or even "deception", according to Philippe Soussi, the lawyer of the husband of one of the victims and of the French Association of Victims of Terrorism (AFVT), adding that the accused's "radicalisation is old and deep". Aouissaoui's lawyer Martin Mechin said that "after more than four years of detention in total isolation" his mental health will be in question at the trial and his capacity to be able to defend himself as any accused has the right to do. - 'Proven radicalisation' - Aouissaoui had arrived in Europe from Tunisia the month before the attack, first crossing the Mediterranean to Italy and then crossing into France overland. On the morning of October 29, Aouissaoui entered the Basilica of Notre-Dame in the heart of Nice, carrying a copy of the Koran, three knives and two mobile phones, according to anti-terror prosecutors. They have argued that he already intended to "commit an attack in France" before leaving Tunisia, pointing to a "proven radicalisation and association with individuals involved in terrorist cases" in Tunisia. The accused is to be cross-examined on February 24 and the trial due to last until February 26. The Nice killings came two weeks after the beheading of history teacher Samuel Paty by an 18-year-old Chechen refugee for having shown his pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a lesson on freedom of speech. Aouissaoui was shot several times by police after the killing spree and even as he was being arrested continued to shout "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest), before being rushed to the city's Pasteur hospital. French intelligence had nothing on file relating to Aouissaoui prior to the attack. He hails from a large family of seemingly modest means living in the central Tunisian city of Sfax. His mother said he repaired motorcycles and described how he had taken to prayer in the years before he left. "He didn't go out and didn't communicate with others," she told AFP shortly after the attack. aje-sjw/fg
