A Wodaabe Gathering!
Lens Magazine|July 2020
This is a series of images from the Gerewol festival in the Sahel desert in Chad.
FRANCE LECLERC
A Wodaabe Gathering!

At this festival, the Wodaabe, a tribe of nomadic cattle herders, meet to celebrate the end of the rainy season and enter a one-of-a-kind beauty contest. Counter to expectations, it is the Wodaabe men rather than the women who are on display. They go to great lengths to beautify themselves and then dance for hours while the Wodaabe women are carefully observing to appreciate their style and skills and pick a winner among them. Furthermore, in some cases, the women use the beauty contest to pick a mate, so a lot is at stake here.

But first, a little about the Wodaabe, a subgroup of the Fulani (also called Peuhl people) and the only remaining fully nomadic tribe of this ethnic group. They live in small clans roaming around all year so that they can feed their cattle. (Sadly, this is a way of life that the Wodaabes may not be able to pursue for much longer as many of their traditional grazing areas are now devoted to agriculture, making it harder for them to find pastures for their cattle).

Though my main purpose was to witness this festival, while I was there, I also tried to capture what daily life is like for a Wodaabe, particularly for a woman. It is clear that the nomadic herdsmen are in charge of the beloved cattle and the women are in charge of, well, everything else.

Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Lens Magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Lens Magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA LENS MAGAZINESe alt
IN THE SHIPYARDS OF DHAKA
Lens Magazine

IN THE SHIPYARDS OF DHAKA

A very large shipyard in Dhaka is located on the Buriganga River's banks, directly across Dhaka's old city.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2023 - The Colorful Issue
Aga Szydlik INDIA
Lens Magazine

Aga Szydlik INDIA

A JOURNEY INTO THE LAND OF DIVERSITY, CULTURE, AND COLORS

time-read
2 mins  |
February 2023 - The Colorful Issue
SEBASTIAN PIÓREK EXPLORING Enjoyable LANDSCAPE
Lens Magazine

SEBASTIAN PIÓREK EXPLORING Enjoyable LANDSCAPE

I retrieved the idea of nature closely linked to the field of human feelings.

time-read
1 min  |
February 2023 - The Colorful Issue
The Extreme Macro Photography of Bees
Lens Magazine

The Extreme Macro Photography of Bees

AN INTERVIEW SAM WITH, DROEGE

time-read
4 mins  |
February 2023 - The Colorful Issue
JEAN KAROTKIN GYMNOPEDIES
Lens Magazine

JEAN KAROTKIN GYMNOPEDIES

Gymnopédies, Karotkin's ongoing series of botanical portraits, takes its name from a trio of piano compositions by 19th-century French composer Erik Satie.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2023 - The Colorful Issue
BUTTERFLIES IN LOVE WITH FLOWERS
Lens Magazine

BUTTERFLIES IN LOVE WITH FLOWERS

I sometimes think Chinese art is not fully appreciated in the West. I was exposed to it growing up in Australia, although my fascination was more with calligraphy.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 2023 - The Colorful Issue
Lissa Hahn:
Lens Magazine

Lissa Hahn:

Hahn: HOW TO EVOKE A PAVLOVIAN RESPONSE IN HUMANS

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2023 - The Colorful Issue
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ELENA PARASKEVA
Lens Magazine

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ELENA PARASKEVA

Elena Paraskeva is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning Conceptual Photographer and Art Director and, most recently, an official ADOBE instructor.

time-read
8 mins  |
February 2023 - The Colorful Issue
From a Living Hell to Heaven on Earth: the Inhumanity and Humanity of Humans
Lens Magazine

From a Living Hell to Heaven on Earth: the Inhumanity and Humanity of Humans

In a remote area of western Wisconsin, dogs and cats who otherwise would have ended up on death row are given a reprieve. They can now live out their lives in peace and comfort and with companionship at Home for Life (HFL), which was not afforded them outside the sanctuary's gates.

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2022 Humanity
The Art of DISAPPEARING
Lens Magazine

The Art of DISAPPEARING

In the classical proposal, indigenous people are usually the topic of discussion, but rarely do they have a hand in shaping it.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2022 Humanity