A Tofinu Girl at Work

West Africa: Ganvie, Benin 2001

The village of Ganvie is built in the middle of a lagoon not far from the capital city of Benin which is Cotonou.  The Tofinu tribe arrived here as early as the 17th century to escape slavers, colonials and mosquitos. They adapted well to their new home on the water, making “fields” in the lake where they fattened fish they had trapped. I suppose they transported them via their dugouts to nearby markets.

The houses of the Tofinu are made of palm fronds and thatch and are on stilts set in the shallow lagoon. The depth of the water is not more than 6 feet. Everyone gets around by polling the wooden dugouts. Women sell their goods from the boats just as people in South East Asia do.

See: http://www.rosemarysheel.com/archives/559

The Floating Market of Ganvie, Benin

We tourists arrived at the village in a motorized dugout and we watched a music and dance performance and then were taken back to where we came from. The government of Benin sponsors these activities for tourists and they garner all the proceeds. The tribe itself does not benefit unless they are one of the dancers or musicians.

And sadly, the fishing business isn’t doing all that well these days. Sea water is flowing into the freshwater lake and the fish are dying. The government of Benin had demolished a natural barrier separating the lake from the sea and the dying fish population is the result. Another instance of someone in power who knows nothing about a situation destroying people’s lives with their ignorance.

Oh, but that topic is too, too depressing as there seems to be no dearth of that type of person. Let’s talk photography…

The photo at the top is an accident. It’s a matter of shoot and hope. I like the position of the girl…so prominent, close enough to touch and yet the houses in the background are discernible. Her serious expression adds to the environmental portrait. The photo was luck, but we all deserve a bit of luck.

 This composition is one I especially like. I once saw a photo in a brochure with a man pulling a rickshaw in the foreground and in the background was a famous landmark. The man and rickshaw nearly filled the frame and their angle was such that your eye naturally went to the landmark. (In this case it was a beautiful old colonial building.) You could easily set up that situation if you hired a local person to be your model. I try to remember this particular photo when I travel, but so far haven’t replicated it.

The second photo is more ordinary. I darkened the background and lightened the girl and her boat to call attention to her and her floating market. That is the way to tell your viewer where you want them to look. Her beauty, her posture, her clothing and her oranges make me enjoy looking at this photo.