TITLE: Purification

On a deserted beach, a group of believers gather to perform the Cult of Liberation, to be freed from the evil spirits that have taken hold of them. The act of deliverance is extremely dramatic. The Pastor loudly commands Satan to leave the body of the faithful. The liberation ends with the Purification, when the faithful dive into the sea and the Pastor confirms that they are pure again. On this day, the beach witnessed a merciless battle against evil, a fight waged with weapons that no human science can explain

AUTHOR: João Coelho (Portugal)

I was born in Angola, but the war of independence in that country forced my family to restart their lives in Portugal in the mid-70s, where I graduated in Law, developed an important part of my professional career in law and banking, and where I took my first steps into the world of photography. In 2007, responding to a strong call from my homeland, I returned to Angola where I am still living and working on auditing and consulting projects focused on the modernization and institutional development of the public sector. The demands of my professional activity and perhaps some fear of photographing in an unsafe environment have led me, unfortunately, to turn my back to photography for quite some time. The rediscovery of that passion as I realized the variety of motives that surrounded me and the gradual release of the fears that blocked me was an extremely enriching and rewarding process. Today, whether telling stories through photography, doing curation in some groups and websites, or simply sharing experiences and achievements with a fantastic community of colleagues and friends, photography is an essential dimension in my life as a form of personal fulfillment and inspiration. My photographic work has also had the merit of shaping my way of being, having radically transformed the way I position myself in the world and how I look at everything around me. Today, after having looked into the eyes of survival and resilience, I am a simpler person, more restrained in my aspirations, and I value more the little things and the small attitudes and gestures that can change the world