My Mom has a Lip Plug!
Africa: A Somba Village in Ghana 2001
A young man holds his mother’s head so that I can photograph her lip plug. The tradition of lip plugs is said to have originated in the days when slavers hunted this tribe. Lip plugs were thought to detract from a woman’s beauty and thus the woman would not bring a high price as a slave. I don’t really buy this theory. If a woman were young and healthy, a slaver could easily remove the plug. I think the lip plug is thought to enhance beauty. Sometimes, when you ask a question, the response is tailored to what the person thinks you want to hear.
The man and his mother stand in front of their home. A fetish hangs to the left of the door. We had to be careful of the fetishes. They sometimes looked like a sculpture of found objects, but, of course, all the objects had a magical power. If we accidentally stepped on something important, it might bring down the wrath of Shango or the god of lightning.
We were never supposed to use our flash in the presence of Shango. We were repeatedly warned as Alberto, our guide, wanted to stay in the good graces of the witch doctor. As we entered a house that was known to have a high Shango presence, one of our group accidentally hit her flash button. Alberto was incensed and she was mortified but the witch doctor did not see and apparently neither did Shango.