Paul John Bayfield
The Swing of the Thurible
Ancestral leopard ritual, Republic of Congo, 2022
Category - Humanity versus Nature
In remote Oshwe territory, deep in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a female leopard is brought from the forest for a ritual that has never before been photographed. Her face and claws are shrouded with leaves to protect the villagers from black magic. For some of the younger people in the community, this will be the very first time they have seen a leopard with their own eyes. All the stories of the feline and its powers are visible on the children’s faces. ‘We make her dance’ one of the pallbearers says in Lingala as they swing her from side to side. Soon she will be butchered and eaten by the village notables in a tradition that allows those who consume her to take on her magical powers. This photo story aims to address the contradiction created by the poaching of a protected species and the protection of the rituals of indigenous people.
24-70 mm f/4 Lens - 1/320 sec at f/11 ISO 200