Saré Warren - Chef Wacsse

Chef Wacsse
Chef DOZO of the Manga commune (Province of Zoundwéogo in the Centre-Sud region of Burkina Faso). November 8, 2020.

Unmanipulated digital photograph on Canson baryta paper. It is mounted on aluminum-dibond and framed in a black American-style cradle frame. Dimensions of the artwork alone: height 38 cm, width 57 cm. Framed: height 42 cm, width 61 cm. A unique piece.
Print alone on baryta paper in only four copies. Signature of Warren Saré on the back of the photograph.

This photograph titled “Chef Wacsse” reveals the striking profile of a man with an intense gaze. The warm, deep tones of his face are heightened by dramatic lighting, sculpting each feature. He wears a braided hat and an elaborate necklace of feathers and natural materials, adding textural richness to the composition.

DOZO in literal Mandékan means “the one who enters the village,” in that he is a man who crosses the boundary between the domestic sphere and the outside world. The DOZO originally is a traditional hunter who, through this activity, knows nature and the environment he helps safeguard, both flora and fauna. Protector of the environment, he possesses the gift of healing, notably through the plants whose medicinal virtues he masters. He also contributes to the valorizations of culture as well as to the respect of tradition. Altruistic, he shares wisdom, love, forgiveness, and peace.

Warren Saré is a Burkinabé photographer born in 1965. His curiosity about photography drew Warren to it when he was barely 13 years old. He lacked the means to acquire a camera. That changed in 1986. From then on, he learned on the job, capturing on film the daily life of Ouagadougou. The renowned Malian photographer Malik Sidibé did not fail to notice this young man eager for images and encounters. He would offer him wise advice and provided support for the creation of the Centre Photographique de Ouagadougou in 2010, directed since by Warren Saré.
Documentary photographer and portraitist, Warren Saré has dedicated himself wholeheartedly to researching African soldiers who served under the French banner called “Tirailleurs sénégalais” during the two world wars and the Indochina and Algeria wars. Since 2005, he has traveled through West African countries and France to gather testimonies, photographs, and videos of these men who often kept their military effects and documents. In parallel, he continues his quest for images and portraits of the DOZOS. Since 2006, exhibitions and photographic encounters have followed in Africa and France.