Josephine
Andrew Mcconnell
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2010
37 year old Josephine Mpongo practises the cello. She plays with the Kimbanguiste Symphony Orchestra, who practise here 5 days per week.
‘Music is a little piece of magic. At its best it can elevate us, no matter our circumstances, it can take us a different
place. You can see that in Josephine’s expression, she has gone somewhere else. It’s a moment of
transcendence.
I was living in Nairobi when I took this image and was sent to DR Congo for the premiere of a documentary about the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra. Two German filmmakers had made the film and I was to go to the premiere with all the musicians and the directors, and take in the experience and their reaction. I had worked in Congo
previously covering the conflict in the east so this was something very different and a wonderful opportunity to
photograph the country in a different light.
We spent a few days with the musicians watching them rehearse and visiting their homes. They were all amateur
musicians and all had to hold down day jobs. Josephine was a cello player in the orchestra and also had a food
stall in the local market. They would practise most days in the compound of the conductor in a fairly run-down
neighbourhood of Kinshasa. One evening after all the other musicians had gone home, Josephine remained behind
practising on her cello. The only thing separating her from the street outside was a green plastic fence. I remember
the moment so clearly, Josephine was lost in the music while outside the hustle and bustle of life on the street
carried on oblivious. I stepped up on a chair so that I could capture these two worlds side by side.’
Specification
Andrew Mcconnell
Andrew McConnell was born in the north of Ireland and began his career as a press photographer working for a daily newspaper in Belfast during the closing stages of the Troubles and the transition to peace.
Today his works focuses on themes of displacement, post-conflict issues, and the environment. He has worked in-depth on issues such as the Syrian refugee crisis, e-waste in Ghana, the ongoing blockade of the Gaza strip and the conflict in eastern DR Congo, for which he won the Luis Valutena Humanitarian Photography Award. In 2009 he photographed people from the Sahrawi communities of Western Sahara, for which he was awarded 1st place in the portrait story category of the World Press Photo awards. A follow-up project on refugees in urban areas was carried out in 8 cities worldwide and resulted in exhibitions in London and New York.
From 2014 Andrew spent four years working on his first feature length documentary ‘GAZA’, which subsequently premiered at Sundance 2019 and was selected as Ireland's entry for the Oscars' Best International Feature Film category at 2020 Academy Awards.
Your Print
When will I receive my print?
We produce prints in a batch every two weeks. Shipping can take up to one week in the UK, and two to three weeks internationally. Orders should be received within 3-5 weeks depending on your location.
What will I receive?
Your print will be posted flat, in a protective sleeve, to avoid damage or curling in transit. Prints come with a Panos Prints provenance certificate with background information about the image and the photographer.
The paper is A4 sized, the image will be smaller than A4 with a white border around it - see Image Specification for exact image size. Borders will be laid out as demonstrated by the print images on the site. We do not provide framing services and images of framed prints are only meant to be illustrative.
Print Care
Paper and ink
We print on Hahnemuhle Baryta FB, an archival fibre based 350gsm fine art paper. It is a bright white paper with a traditional character finish and heavy weighting. This paper has long been the industry standard paper for digital printing.
What is a giclée print?
Giclée comes from French and literally means ‘squirt’, referring to the spray of very fine drops of ink that produce an inkjet print. We print with archival paper and pigment inks to the accepted standards of fine art giclee printing found within the collectors market. Prints should last over a hundred years and with care longer than this. Avoiding extremes of light, heat and humidity will help prolong the life of your print.