Portrait of Uganda launched in Paris

By Billie O’Kadameri in ParisFRIENDS OF Uganda and Ugandans living and studying in France gathered last week to witness the Paris launch of perhaps the most beautiful portrait of Uganda produced by French journalists.The 144-page largely colour picture book entitled Eye of the Storm is the work of French journalist Nicolas Michel with photography by Pierre Francois Didek and Canadian photographer David Pluth.The launching ceremony was presided over by the Advisor on Religious Affairs at the French foreign ministry and former French ambassador to Uganda, Rene Roudaut.Eye of the Storm is a photographic and narrative presentation of Uganda and its beauty as well as some of its ugly and funny facets. It is a journey across the cultural varieties and practices, portraying the bold and the beautiful from Karamoja to Rwenzori. It also covers Kisangani, where a lone Ugandan soldier with his rocket-propelled grenade is pictured defending a position on a bridge.Michel said it took them nearly three years to complete the project and “the final production is our idea of a reflection of the practical reality about Uganda.”On why they chose the title Eye of the Storm, Michel said it was used to describe a peaceful country in the midst of an unstable region.