ABANDONING THE BABY CAMEL: In this photo, I am riding my camel with my Touareg father, Ahoudan, as we trek across the Bagzan mountains of Niger’s Aïr. Always preferring my own two feet (hence “alzharawalking”), I was not an avid camel rider. But on this particular trip, I became sick, and Ahoudan spent his time carrying me, or holding me atop my camel. Read more…
JULIA THE GORILLA, MY BEST FRIEND: In this photo, I am playing with Julia the Gorilla, and my brother, Tercelin. We were living in the Gambia at the time, while my parents worked on an article on Julia for National Geographic Kids. Julia, a three year old lowland gorilla, had been saved from poachers who had attacked her community and killed her mother. Read more…
THE WRESTLER: In this photo, my brother Tercelin and I stand in awe in frount of a Senegalese wrestler before a match. Wrestling is the traditional national sport in Senegal. Wrestling in Senegal, like in other West African countries, incorporates elements of folklore, mystical ritual and magic. The marabout, or religious leader, accompanies the wrestler, to pray for his victory. Read more…
In this photo, I am with my big brother Tercelin, surrounded by mask escorts of the Guere tribe in the Ivory Coast. (Soon thereafter, I was kidnapped by the mask of comedy). The escorts warn the arrival of a mask to the villagers by conducting cartwheels and other acrobatics. Read more…
KIDNAPPED! This is me as a little girl in the Ivory Coast, kidnapped by the “mask of comedy” of the Guéré tribe. My parents were working for Jeune Afrique, shooting photos for a book on the Ivory Coast, when the mask took me, and refused to return me to my parents unless they paid a ransom of $10.
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