Photographer Paul Béjannin is presenting his captivating exhibition "Rapa Iti, the Island That Dreams of Another World" at the French Polynesia Delegation in Paris through September 18. The exhibition offers an intimate glimpse into life on one of the most remote inhabited territories of the French Republic, located 1,200 kilometers south of Tahiti in French Polynesia.

Rapa Iti exists as a place where time seems suspended, accessible only by boat every six to eight weeks. This isolated island home to 500 residents operates on a rhythm of solidarity, blending ancient traditions with a unique relationship to nature and the environment. The community represents both a closed and open world, where land ownership as commonly understood does not exist – instead, the earth belongs to everyone.

The island's survival depends on a sustainable lifestyle rooted in community sharing and environmental protection. Food comes from communal fields, free-roaming livestock, hunting, and fishing, all distributed equitably through an ancestral custom called "rahui" that was reestablished thirty years ago to protect the bays. This system prohibits fishing in certain areas and has successfully preserved a unique ecological sanctuary in Polynesia.

Social life on Rapa Iti is remarkably vibrant and interconnected. Sundays bring the entire community together for mass, children's games, and collective banquets where everyone contributes. Celebrations sometimes last for several days, breaking down barriers between generations and strengthening community bonds. Even the rare arrival of the cargo ship, which serves as the island's primary connection to the outside world, becomes an island-wide event that everyone experiences together.

Béjannin's photojournalism project, conducted through several weeks of immersive reporting, documents the singular reality of this microsociety. His images capture daily life scenes that reveal the resilience and creativity of the community: one policeman serving the entire island, families deeply connected to their taro fields, children who must leave Rapa during adolescence to continue their education elsewhere, fishermen renowned for their free-diving skills, and nurses who single-handedly handle all medical responsibilities for the population.

Rather than simply documenting an isolated place frozen in time, the exhibition challenges viewers to question their own ways of living. In an increasingly globalized world, Rapa Iti serves as a reminder that places still exist where mutual aid takes precedence over individualism, where ecological living is practiced as a natural way of life, and where communities construct alternative relationships with time and modernity.

Paul Béjannin is an independent photojournalist based in France. His exhibition "Rapa Iti, the Island That Dreams of Another World" runs until September 18, 2025, at the French Polynesia Delegation, located at 28 boulevard Saint-Germain, 75005 Paris. More information about the photographer's work can be found at www.paulbejannin.com.