Sophia Wilson, Carnaval Guadeloupe (PEOPLE 2024)

"Déboulé" is a French word that translates roughly to a tumbling, hurtling, or rushing forwards. In Guadeloupe's carnaval, déboulé is used to describe the rapid marching of people through towns and villages as they chant and sing in protest against injustice and for liberation. This photograph was taken after marching with hundreds of people through the streets of Basse-Terre, the nation's capital. After touring the outer suburbs, the marching group joined with a large crowd of locals in the city centre to continue the drumming, singing, and dancing well into the night. This man stood beside me on a fence I had climbed to get a better view, he seemed to be taking photographs too, framing the scene with his hands. After taking this photograph we laughed together and he directed me on things I should photograph, but his portrait remains a favourite.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.