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AFP / Zakaria Abdelkafi

The burning man

Zakaria Abdelkafi Wednesday 3 May 2017

"I was really affected by this photo and by this policeman," writes Zakaria Abdelkafi, a Syrian photographer who lives and works now in Paris.

"Here was a human being on fire in front of me. In Paris. And he didn’t do anything. I am from Syria, where police aren’t there to protect you, where police shoot people at demonstrations with real bullets. And these guys, all they did was throw some tear gas. And they were being attacked."

Zakaria's photo, of a French policeman in flames during a May Day demonstration in Paris, went viral on social media, with tens of thousands of retweets. 

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  • AFP / Martin Bureau
  • AFP / Pierre Guillaud
  • AFP / Fred Dufour
  • AFP / Patrick Kovarik
  • AFP / Daniel Janin
  • AFP / Patrick Hertzog
  • AFP / Philippe Desmazes

My French presidential moment

Laurent Kalfala Friday 28 April 2017

"Covering a candidate’s presidential campaign is a blur of rallies and meetings," writes AFP journalist Laurent Kalfala.

"For a photographer, the challenge is to both present a full picture of the campaign and to find different angles to those taken by colleagues and competitors. Amid the blur, there is always a few moments that stand out."

"As France gets ready for the second and final round of its historic 2017 election, seven AFP photographers reflect on their presidential campaign moments of the past, from Pierre Guillaud getting THE shot of Charles de Gaulle voting in 1965 to Philippe Desmazes having his work sent to the garbage bins after Lionel Jospin’s shock defeat in the first round in 2002." 

This is the third installment in our "Recalling the Moment" series. Read the first one here and the second one here.

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AFP / Joseph Eid

Along on a Hezbollah tour

Sara Hussein Tuesday 25 April 2017

"As our convoy turned onto a orchard-lined lane in Lebanon’s southern village of Naqura, the Hezbollah fighters came into view," writes Sara Hussein, a correspondent based in Beirut.

"They were hard to miss. Despite wearing military camouflage and smears of green and black paint on their faces, the fighters were clearly there to be seen. The men stood silently in the long grass between citrus trees, holding guns, RPG launchers, and anti-aircraft systems. They didn’t move."

"'It's like Madame Tussauds with Hezbollah fighters,' said one photographer, snapping frame after frame."

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  • AFP / Juan Barreto
  • AFP / Juan Barreto

A journey to the center of the Earth

Maria Isabel Sanchez Friday 21 April 2017

"A seemingly endless black hole is at our feet," writes Maria Isabel Sanchez, AFP bureau chief in Caracas.

"We have made the decision to descend into the darkness, but the tension is palpable. One by one, we enter the abyss -- me, video journalist Jesus Olarte and photographer Juan Barreto. This is what we have spent days waiting for. We go down slowly, without looking down, only the light from the headlamp of our guide illuminating the foreboding darkness. We are finally inside one of Venezuela’s myriad of illegal gold mines, a world where violence, impunity and fear reign."

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