Photojournalist Olivier Jobard joined Sipa Press in 1992. His work has focused on the problems surrounding immigration in Europe and throughout the world.
In 2004, Jobard met 23-year-old Kingsley and documented his harrowing journey from his home in Cameroon, through Africa, to France. The following year he was awarded a World Press Photo for this story. In 2006, his book 'Kingsley’s Crossing' was published by Marval Editions; he also worked with MediaStorm to create a multimedia documentary of the same name.
For the past two years, Jobard has concentrated on the "fortress of Europe" and the various routes taken by illegal immigrants to reach European borders – from the Ukraine to Poland, from Turkey to Greece and from Syria to Lampedusa. This work culminated in an exhibition – 'Exile, Exit' – sponsored by French NGO Medecins du Monde which will be shown in Europe’s capitals.
Having spent years exposing the plights of immigrants, Jobard has now turned his lens towards the integration of immigrants in their host countries.
Kingsley's Crossing is the story of one man's dream to leave the poverty of life in Africa for the promised land of Europe. We walk in his shoes, as photojournalist Olivier Jobard accompanies Kingsley on his uncertain and perilous journey.