Paper short abstract:

The analysis of the political, economic and symbolic issues at work in some photographic encounters will allow to think more globally the construction of spiritual and primitivist representations on a new tourist destination that is today included in the « shamanic tourism » transnational circuits.

Paper long abstract:

Gabon is best known for its oil, its wood and the Bongo family. This small Central African country is struggling to attract international tourists. The Gabonese Government promotes an "eco-tourism" based on the discovery of fauna and flora in its thirteen national parks and the discovery of the local "traditions". Since 2006, expensive and prestigious projects are being implemented by the Government, as the online museum "Arts and Traditions", aimed to promote tourism and the countrie's culture intended for an international audience. In 2012, at the initiative of the first lady of Gabon, a mission was entrusted to an American photographer for a book on Gabon. Specialized in magical rituals in Africa and in the Caribbean, this photographer is guided in Gabon by Tatayo, a French based in Gabon for thirty years and who practice bwiti, a local initiation rite. This communication, supported by a 15 minutes documentary, focuses on Tatayo's intercessor's role. By describing the manner in which Tatayo negotiates the "release of the masks" with the local nganga (healers) for this photographer, the manner in which she features the characters, we can grasp how images produced by institutions, individuals and media are built. The analysis of the political, economic and symbolic issues at work in these photographic encounters will allow to think more globally the construction of spiritual and primitivist representations on a new tourist destination that is today included in the « shamanic tourism » transnational circuits.