Abandoning the Baby Camel

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…

Kidnapped!

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.
Read more…