EXPO - Le Sahel forgotten

For more than ten years, the Sahel — a vast semi-arid region stretching from Senegal to Sudan — has been almost exclusively associated with the image of a permanent crisis. More than 5 million people are displaced there, nearly 31 million are in need of humanitarian aid, and the region is warming at a rate one and a half times the global average. Yet, the Sahel is more than just its crises: it is home to an exceptional mosaic of peoples, languages, and histories, and societies that have been adapting to a demanding environment and profound transformations for centuries. From March 26 to June 28, 2026, Géopolis – Center for Photojournalism is dedicating a new cycle of exhibitions to this region, which is too often reduced to a few clichés. Visitors will discover the intersecting perspectives of several renowned photographers: Adrienne Surprenant documents the upheavals around Lake Chad, which has lost nearly 90% of its volume since the 1960s; Pascal Maitre, who has been traveling through Africa for over thirty years, provides a long-term reading of the Sahel's intertwined crises; Giovanni Frescura, Roberto Marcon, and Luigi Carrieri highlight transhumance, an ancestral way of life that remains largely unknown; finally, a section produced in partnership with AFP delves into current events in four countries — Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and Sudan — where the presence of journalists is rare. An exhibition presented in partnership with GIZ (German international cooperation) and AFP.