( CNN ) In 2011 , journalists flocked to Kinshasa , the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , to cover the presidential election and the violence leading up to the vote . Photographer Leonard Pongo had different plans . `` I could have focused on the election , but I chose to follow people around , '' Pongo said . `` I wanted to experience what life in the country was like ... to understand another side of those events -- not those usually reported , but one that was much more personal . '' It was Pongo 's burning personal quest that brings us `` The Uncanny , '' a black-and-white series that helps us experience the Congo in flesh and blood . These rich portraitures and compositions of Pongo 's family members give us a vivid emotion of what it is like to be human as your country spirals into chaos . It is also a photographic detour from the cliche images of the Congo -- a subtler but deeply psychological representation of how war affects daily lives . War is something only experienced marginally by Pongo , who was born and raised in Belgium to a Belgian mother and a Congolese father . Stories of the Congo were narratives whispered into his European upbringing . `` I had never been , '' to Congo , he said . `` It was a latent desire I had for a very long time to go there . I do n't feel particularly drawn to Belgium ... but going ( to Congo ) made me feel even more lost . '' Connecting with his family in the Congo , the photographer attended baptisms and weddings , exorcisms and political rallies . Everywhere he looked , he felt a challenge to his core beliefs as he went down his DNA chain . `` I felt very challenged in my identity , sometimes as a 'white , ' others as a 'black ' person , '' Pongo said . `` This led to many conflicts , internal and external ; many arguments ; and it also directed the way I photographed . '' While feeling the warm welcome of his family , Pongo still felt a certain reticence when they looked at the camera . Their trust was not always unshakable , and that state of awareness become synonymous with the Congo . Social media . Follow @ CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography . He uses a photo of a family reunion -- the first in the gallery above -- as an example . `` I find that photo a little disturbing , because all the gazes are going into different directions , '' Pongo said . `` There are clearly some mixed emotions here . And that is the DRC . It is a very complex country , and it is not always easy to read which signs are being communicated . There is a state of tension and confusion . '' Working with the approach of an artisan , Pongo plays with light to create a certain magic in the aura of the people he portrays . It is a useful tool in a place with so many contrasts . `` I like to remain loyal to the principles of film development and darkrooms , '' said Pongo , who shot `` The Uncanny '' on a digital camera . `` The light is a combination of using flashes and taking advantage of the amazing presence of the sun . The humid atmosphere , fog and dust renders some interesting possibilities ... like a natural filter . '' Pongo went back in 2013 and said his journey through the country is not over yet . `` I think I reached my objective , to embed into the daily life in the Congo , which clearly transformed me , '' he said . `` I was allowed into the life of people who were former strangers ... and got a deeper understanding of what daily life in the Congo could feel like . `` I was also deeply impressed to discover how much life there is in this country , how much more there is to discover , how complex it is to understand , and how much work that will require . '' Leonard Pongo is a photographer from Belgium . You can follow him on Tumblr .
Photographer Leonard Pongo documented daily life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The European country has struggled over the years with civil war and election violence .