TOFATAT (continued): I now grasped why Ahoudan had never attempted to describe what we would find at his secret sanctuary. You can’t describe Tofatat, any better than you can describe “love”; you experience it, you say what it is about, you write poetry about it, but its essence is lost in translation. Although Tofatat is made of lifeless stone, it is the most life-giving natural phenomenon I have ever experienced. Read more…
POPULARITY CONTEST: In this photo Deegii, a Wodaabe Fulani man, admires himself as he prepares himself for the Gerewul dance, a traditional Fulani “popularity contest” or male beauty pageant. The Fulani are obsessed with beauty, and men are equally, if not more coquettish than their female counterparts. Read more…
DESERT PUNKS: Wodaabe women, like the men, venerate beauty. They have their faces tattooed during childhood, and wear their hair in large intriguing hairstyles: the back is braided, and the front is worn in a large, punk-like doo, covered with barrettes and other adornments. They love colorful garments, have many piercings, and cover themselves in ornate jewelry. Their herbal perfumes often hide the magic of a spell…
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