"Alain Keler - Histoires de vie" exhibition: a meeting with the photojournalist

1. Why did you become a photographer?

When I was very young, I loved geography. Very early on, I wanted to go out and see the world with a camera. I was imbued with the stories of Tintin, who represents travel and adventure all over the world. I spent my time looking at maps and listening to the radio. I was fascinated to hear jingles from Radio Moscow and other radio stations. I think that's part of the appeal of travelling.

I remember when we lived in Clermont-Ferrand (during the Second World War, Alain Keler's grandparents and parents took refuge in Auvergne), we used to go on holiday to the Atlantic coast. It wasn't very far, but it was already an expedition because at the time there were no motorways. We travelled through different regions, which fascinated me because I felt like I was going to other countries.

2. One section of the exhibition focuses on photos of crowds. Is there a particular moment that stood out for you?

In Braga, Portugal, there was a crowd that tried to lynch me during the revolution in 1975. At the time, I had a Cuban-style moustache. There were many demonstrations that I covered. There are always interesting photos to be taken. There was a demonstration organised by royalists against the socialist government of Mario Soares. People were protesting against the fact that Portugal was in the process of dismantling its colonial empire. I was on the balcony of a building and started photographing the crowd at the demonstration. Suddenly, there was a group forming below the balcony with people pointing at me. I got down from the building and spoke to the organisers of the demonstration, who spoke French. They ask me if I have accreditation. The demonstrators wanted to get my pictures and see my camera.

My camera was taken away by the growing crowd of demonstrators. They thought I was a Cuban spy and wanted me dead. I took refuge in a small field. I returned to my car and went to the police station. I learnt that the crowd wanted to lynch me. I spoke on the phone to the governor of Braga, who spoke fluent French. He told me that it was terrible and that the demonstrators were provocateurs, meaning that they were communists. I told him that my camera had been stolen. A few months later, the Portuguese embassy in Paris reimbursed me for my camera.

3. The last section of the exhibition focuses on your parents. Can you tell us about the impact of the Shoah on your family and your work?

I was brought up by Jewish parents. My grandparents never returned from the camps. They were deported from Clermont Ferrand to Auschwitz. My mother's little sister was also deported, which was a tragedy. My father was also deported, but he talked less about it because he was less close to his family. My mother was an extraordinarily tolerant woman and she once told me that I could marry a woman even if she wasn't young, as long as I was happy. That was extraordinary.

I worked on this memory and made a film about it called "The Last Journey", filming my parents. I went all the way to Auschwitz. I travelled a lot to Israel to take photos for the SYGMA press agency to cover current events, particularly the invasion of southern Lebanon. History seems to be repeating itself.

4. Which photos in the exhibition stand out for you?

I really like a photo taken in Israel. It shows women who survived the Shoah. They are showing the numbers they were tattooed with in the camps. In the centre of the photo, a woman is smiling, which is very moving. I also like the photo of old Palestinians that we see in the rear-view mirror of a car. We see the separation wall in Israel, which is the symbol of the Israeli-Palestinian problem. This photo is very symbolic. We see the construction of the wall in the middle of a very arid land. This photo is very powerful and simple.

5. What are your current projects?

I have this exhibition in Vincennes, "Alain Keler - Histoires de vie", but also in Arles which is very big and more complete. In October, a new book will be published by my traditional publishers based in Rennes. I really like them. I'm very active on my blog "Journal d'un photographe", which I've been writing for fifteen years.