Collaborating with friends and family in the country, Pongo became immersed in their vision. He let them decide what he should witness as he attempted to understand the region, reconnect with his heritage and reconcile his preconceptions with realities.

In 2011, Pongo travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to photograph the country's general election and its impact on society. He soon became aware that, as a European educated photographer he could neither define which stories mattered nor were they his to tell. As his awareness of this increased, he came to terms with the limits of photography to show 'the truth' as well as his own limitations in accessing and understanding the environment, bias, and stereotypes. The project evolved into the photographs which form his first book The Uncanny.