Bound by culture and language, by the traumas of slavery's dark past and by renaissance with each new chapter in their history, the Krios (Creoles) are the descendants of slaves freed when the slave trade was abolished in the United States. Some were sent back to Africa against their will by British colonists, others to reclaim what had been lost generations before they were born. All they knew of this faraway continent were the songs sung on the plantations and the confessions of their enslaved ancestors.

Behind the Burning Sun is a oneiric journey into the memories of families descended from slaves in Gambia. I explored the land cut by the river in search of traces of the memory and history of the slave trade in this small country, which for over two centuries was a vast reservoir for flesh traders.

My photographic interest in the Krios community began with Alex Haley's Roots. In this novel, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1977, Haley retraces the life of Kunta Kinteh, a slave captured in Gambia before being sent to America. For the first time in History, an African-American author, himself a descendant of slaves, was able to reconnect with his roots.

This project is a metaphorical photographic tale. I wanted to let the memories, joys and fears I was told come to life. Over time, the words circulated, then merged and were transformed. The Behind the Burning Sun photographic story presents no truth, but leaves space for the stories as the Krios experience them today.