TITLE: Living in a leprosy village

A leprosy village? Does this still exist in the 21st century? Yes, this village called M'balling is 84 km away from Dakar, the capital of Senegal. Here, healthy and sick people trying to defy a cruel fate.
The sick make up a third of the population. Since 2009, I, Joachim Bergauer, documented the fight of the Peulh in M'balling in Senegal. It is a Senegalese ethnic group that originally lived in southern Ethiopia and Sudan and hiked from the Nile to the coast of Senegal as a "shepherd".
Despite their low status, the Peulh are a proud people. They have their rites and their rhythm of life and, above all, a very special glow in their eyes.
The first two times I visited the village for a couple of weeks, I did not take any pictures but played soccer with the kids. I knew - in Africa if you are accepted in the game, you will also be accepted in the community. And that's exactly what you can see in my pictures. They arose out of a trusting relationship. With my camera I shuffled across the sandy ground, looking for motifs, moments and pictures that say more than a thousand words. For the Peulh, I have become one of their own.
I show the life, the inner and outer beauty of the people, but also the dark side - also the disease leprosy. It is a journey into a country where people's will to survive despite their devastating living conditions is so great that they still smile.
The pictures were also published in my book.

AUTHOR: Joachim Bergauer (Austria)

The master-class photographer Joachim Bergauer was born on 12.07.1965 in Schwarzach (Salzburg). The entrance to the advertising industry was the result of the photography in his adolescence. The artist also gained journalistic experience while working at the austrian boulevard during his long lasting function as a press photographer.

In the 1990’s, Joachim Bergauer founded his establishment with two assistents. He’s specialised to image-, advertising-, report- and art-photography. Ever since, the salzburg citizen is commonly booked by various advertising agencies and magazines (New York Times, Spiegel, Profil, ...) in his home country and abroad too. World-famous celebrities from sport and media are also visiting his studio very often to get in the right light for upcoming successful pictures.

At the beginning of 2000, Bergauer founded in addition to his photography an advertising agency and ever since, he is cooperating with costumers like Atomic, Infineon, Volksbank Salzburg, Falkensteiner Hotels and Sparda Bank inter alia.

Bergauer holds lectures and workshops in Austria, Germany, Prague and Switzerland and led the "masterclass digital photography" in Salzburg. Exhibitions and a separate book "Live in the leprosy village" complete his area of ​​responsibility.

The artistic part is also not neglected and this is why Joachim Bergauer’s works are admired and favoured at exhibitions in Canada, France, Germany and Austria frequently.

Awards
2019 Photographer of the YEAR - Tokio International Photography Award
Trierenberg Super Circuit Gold Portrait 2017
PX3 Grand Prix France Winner 2017
Karl-Weiser-Award Austria 2016
FEP – European Photographer 2015
1st – Staatspreis Traumseher Category 'Advertisement' 2015
2nd – Traumseher Professional Photographer – Category 'Advertisement' 2015
1st – Traumseher Professional Photographer – Category 'Reportage' 2015
4 x Gold European Newspaper Award 2012 (PUR Magazin)
3 x Gold European Newspaper Award 2011 (PUR Magazin)
2nd – Traumseher Award 2010
2008 Award 1. Platz Photography
2008 Award 1. Platz Outdoor
2006 Award 3. Platz Werbekampagne
2006 Award 2. Platz Outdoor
2002 Award 2. Platz Webdesign
"S@lzburger of the Year" 2008
Worldwide Ambassador for Hasselblad 2006