Outrageous
Mopti, Mali 2001
This Fulani woman was ‘famous’ for her large earrings and every photographer who went to Mali photographed her sooner or later. We went to her home where she was going about her chores. She quickly changed her clothes and began to pose in her darkened doorway.
There were about 12 of us and each person was calling to her to hold her henna’d hand up, or turn this way or get a calabash and put it on her head. It was confusing, so Alberto, our leader, told us to approach her one by one, get the pic we wanted and then let the next person have a go.
I got some upper body shots, but I like this one best. No one else has this shot. I got in her face with my wide-angle lens and shot. Finished. I might have taken a bit more time and stepped back a tad so her eyes would be sharper, but I’m satisfied. Her tattooed lips show up, that’s key with Fulani women, and her earrings dominate the photo. Her pleasant expression is one of amusement. I am still happy with this portrait after all these years.
To get to her house we walked through dusty alleyways filled with the Fulani cattle being herded home for the night. Children ran out to see us, calling us the Fulani equivalent of “whitey”. I can’t remember the word now. Or they’d call out in French, “cadeau” (gift). They’d rush up to grab our hands and run away as if to say, “I touched one of them!”
I haven’t finished with my photos from the Stans, but maybe you want some variety. I’ll add other photos including the Stans. All you need do to find the country you are interested in is to click on the name of the country in the list on the right.