La Soufrire

La Soufrire captures a poignant reunion between a father and son after 25 years apart. Swedish photographer Kristian Krn travels to the island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean to meet his father, Arthur a meeting that turns out to be both their first and their last. Arthur had left the family when Kristian was just two years old. It was only years later that Kristian learned of his fathers existence and his longstanding mental illness. To meet Arthur and gain understanding, Kristian journeys to Basse-Terre, the capital of Guadeloupe, a quiet town with a shrinking population of around 10,000. Over the course of a week, they explore the island together, visiting places Arthur wants to show Kristian. Communication is difficult, as Kristians understanding of Guadeloupean Creole French is limited. Instead, they spend much of their time bonding through music. Kristians camera becomes an essential bridge between them, serving as both a means of connection and a source of comfort. One day, they hiked to the top of the volcano La Grande Soufrire. Arthur, dressed in a blazer and flip-flops, kept vanishing and reappearing in the mist. The volcano, a place where some of their most significant memories were made, inspired the books title. The word soufrire comes from the French soufre, meaning sulfur or to sulfurizea kind of sulfurous condemnation. Phonetically, it closely resembles souffrir, the verb meaning to suffer and endure.