Swiss eyes on Syria's pretty as a picture president (9 images)
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Cafebabel ENG (NS)While Syria enters its second year of civil war, Swiss photographer Nicolas Righetti finds himself with a different conflict. His book The Future Is Rosy (L'Avenir en Rose), to be published in September 2012, compiles portraits of Bashar al-Assad dating back to 2007. At that time, the country was in full electoral fever, re-electing al-Assad by referendum as leader of the country. In Damascus his presence was everywhere: in drawings, on posters, on tarpaulins measuring 10 metres by 10 metres. Righetti’s work juxtaposes these portraits with phrases taken from the speeches that al-Assad gave from the beginning of the uprising: 'modern and reassuring portraits juxtaposed against quotations about the struggle and the fall,'as the 45-year-old world press photo award winner writes
'We have never said that we were a democratic country' (Image: © Nicolas Righetti)
'What is important is the way in which Syrians look at you. I do not need to look at myself' (Image: © Nicolas Righetti)
'We must strike the terrorists with an iron fist' (Image: © Nicolas Righetti)
'I am not a man who flees his responsibilities' (Image: © Nicolas Righetti)
'When I go to work, I drive myself to the palace' (Image: © Nicolas Righetti)
'No government in the world would kill its people. Unless it was run by a madman' (Image: © Nicolas Righetti)
'They wanted to make this land of love, peace and harmony, a land of destruction, murder and chaos' (Image: © Nicolas Righetti)
'I will soon declare my victory over the enemy forces' (Image: © Nicolas Righetti)
'I have done my best to protect the people. I cannot feel guilty' (Image: © Nicolas Righetti)
Translated from La Syrie et Bachar el-Assad : un Avenir en roses