Up Close: Caliphate of Ashes

In March 2015, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to ISIS and tried to establish a Caliphate. Photojournalist Benedicte Kurzen describes travelling with the Nigerian army as they retook the land held by insurgents.

  • Words + Photography: Bénédicte Kurzen

‘In the helicopter of the Nigerian Air Force, the hot air, the noise, the sun were overwhelming. But nothing could distract us from watching the ground. On this particular evening we were flying from Gwoza to Maiduguri. We went so low, it felt we could touch the leafless trees of this stark forest where Boko Haram was hiding. Would we see them? Would they have time to shoot at us?

Suddenly we saw a pick-up truck with men on top and anti-aircraft weaponry. But they had no time to take aim. As we flew on, the next scene we saw was these Fulani cows fleeing in panic because of the noise and the vibrations.ʼ

Bénédicte Kurzen is a French photographer and photojournalist based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Article taken from
Articles

Further Reading

Alaskan Bush Pilots

Avaunt heads to Talkeetna, situated some 115 miles north of Anchorage on the southern edge of the Denali National Park, to discover the essential role of aircraft in everyday Alaskan life.

Pluto’s Horizon

Two-thirds the size of the moon, the distant dwarf planet Pluto is easily overlooked, and yet recent discoveries could make it the most exciting body in our solar system.

OuLiPo: Radical Poetry Meets Mathematics

Jolyon Webber turns an eye to 1960s France and puts Queneau and le Lionnais’ ‘workshop of potential literature’ – the radical literary movement marrying poetry and mathematics – into action.

Hope After Destruction

Shining a light onto Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak, a remarkable Polish female architect whose work defined a bold new era.

‘We’re on the Road Eternally’

The writer, thinker, and former politician Michael Ignatieff talks about going night-fishing on Tito’s yacht, his friendship with Bruce Chatwin, and the challenges of fighting for democratic freedom in Viktor Orbán’s Hungary.

Digital Archaeology

If these stones could talk: the Institute for Digital Archaeology deploys the latest technology to recreate monuments ravaged by war and destruction. Here the team members explain their vision.
Browse by Category