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betty.press@usm.edu
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| This picture was taken at the assembly program of the John F. Kennedy Lycée (High School), one of the top boarding schools for girls from many parts of Senegal. It was the 25th anniversary of the late United States President’s death and the school had a special program to celebrate his ideals and US/Senegal friendship. The young women came dressed in their local traditional costumes. Senegal is known to have some of the most beautiful women in Africa. |
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 Political rally Lomé, Togo |
This political rally was sponsored by the government in power, so it was highly- organized. One of the most animated groups in the rally was this group of dancers with pompoms. The blend of western symbols like pompoms with traditional African dancing is somewhat startling to outsiders but it is fairly typical. |
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| The sign is what first drew me to this scene, then the light and arrangement of the vegetables. Fathers are not seen as much with their children as mothers. But when I did see them they were very loving towards their children. Children are considered blessings from God and fathers like to have as many as possible. |
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Northern Kenya is a semi-arid area where the nomadic tribes like the Turkana survive by herding goats and camels. Due to drought and severe living conditions some of the nomadic families have settled around the town of Isiolo trying to make a living from trading as well as herding their animals. They build very simple homes of mud and thatch for shade and shelter. They have few possessions besides cooking utensils and sleeping mats. But even the simplest homes are decorated with posters and geometric designs using natural materials. This mother has started a small business selling kerosene for lamps. It may make the difference of whether or not her child is able to go to school. |
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| Babies
are mostly carried on the mother’s back so her hands are free to
do whatever work she needs to do. . The child feels the warmth and security
of the mother’s body. In this picture siblings are taking care
of their younger brothers or sisters but they also carry them on their
backs. |
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| Women in Mali have a sophisticated sense of fashion, particularly in terms of their clothes and hairstyles. The cheapest place to have their hair done is in the open-air market where a large covered stall is devoted to this trade. Elaborate hairdos that involve braiding artificial hair into the real hair can take hours. The women make themselves comfortable, along with their children, on a straw mat and leave the work up to their hair stylist. They also can get henna added to their feet or hands at the same time. I wanted to get my hair done while I was there but since I wasn’t willing to spend so much time I only had a few braids added to accent my hairstyle. I also had a henna design applied to my hands while the hair stylist worked on my braids. It was what you call a one-stop beauty salon. |
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A good business to have, anywhere, is a restaurant. This small stall serves mainly pounded yam, rice, vegetables and stew. The customers sit on wooden benches as they eat their meals in the shade. The prices are very cheap so most laborers in the nearby area can afford the meals. A signboard shows what kind of food is served. |
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Pounded
yam is one of the favorite foods in many Nigerian homes. The best way
to make it is to pound the boiled yam using a mortar and pestle; even
when modern conveniences are available. For the cook, Moses, it is hot,
sweaty work and takes real agility of the arms and feet. A spicy stew
cooked on the electric stove was the perfect accompaniment to a delicious,
filling meal. |
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Open-air
markets such as this one in Lomé are some of the most colorful
and dynamic places to visit in any African city. Its fabric market is
one of the best in West Africa. Women traders specializing in this trade
have become very rich and powerful. The market that used to be located
in one large building now spreads out for blocks in the downtown area.
Vendors in stalls compete with ambulant sellers who roam the market
trying to sell their goods. |
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| Lagos
is one of the most populated cities in Africa. Though no longer the
capital city it is still the main commercial and port city in Nigeria.
It spreads out over a series of islands along the coast linked by major
expressways and bridges. This elevated walkway allows pedestrians to
safely reach buses and train. Vendors take advantage of this busy transportation
hub to sell their wares. |
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It
is recess time and the children bound out of their classrooms for their
physical education class. The teacher coaches the children through a
series of exercises; the last one is the “chicken walk”. With
elbows flapping the children strut and squawk their stuff around the
grassy playing field. With all their excess energy used up, the children
are ready to go back to their classroom to tackle their reading and
math lessons. |
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| This
is a typical rural community school located in the eastern region of
Nigeria. Classes tend to be large with children crowded into simple
wooden desks. Children are required to wear school uniforms. They are
well behaved and attentive in their classes. Education is highly prized
and families try their best to pay the school and uniform fees so that
their children can attend school. |
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| In
northern Nigeria most people belong to the Muslim religion and most
children go to Koranic school (religious School) to learn about their
faith. The teachings are from the Koran, the Holy Book, which is written
in Arabic. Students carry a wooden board which serves as their blackboard
to learn how to read and write Arabic. Before only boys went to Koranic
school but now girls are sent as well. |
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| Each primary school offers its students diverse school activities. Music, dance, and drama are some of the most valued educational activities. This school had one of the best dance troops in Kenya. They were invited to dance at many national events. Here the young dancers are making up their faces. |
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| A
Kenyan wedding has many of the trappings of a western style wedding,
even like this one held in a small church in one of Nairobi’s shantytowns.
The bride wore a lovely white dress with a veil and long train. Her
only unusual accessory was her white purse. She was ushered into church
on her brother’s arm; the flower girls carried the train as the
matron of honor watched. The bride had to keep her head covered and
eyes down and could only look up at her husband and guests when she
was pronounced married. The church was festooned with crepe paper decorations.
At the front white cloths covered the chairs and table where the couple
sat to recite their vows. Gifts were presented to the couple at the
end of the ceremony. Then a meal was served to all the guests. It was
a simple yet elegant wedding for a couple with a very limited income. |
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| The Niger is the most important river in West Africa. It runs most of the length of Mali, continues through Niger and Nigeria ending in the Atlantic Ocean. Diafarabé is a small town situated on an island in the river. Erosion is eating away the walls of the houses located on its banks. Boats are one of the main ways to get around. The river is the place to meet and gossip, also to wash clothes, dishes, or bathe. It is one of the most magical places that I have ever visited. The view of the sunrise on the river from the simple mud adobe home where I stayed was a scene I will never forget! |
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| Djenné
has been an important commercial and Moslem center for centuries. There
has been a mosque on its central plaza since the 1100’s. Monday
is market day and the plaza fills up with vendor’s stalls and ambulant
traders. It is the best day to visit the city because people from the
surrounding villages pour into the city to buy and sell goods. They
dress in their best clothes and catch up on all the gossip and events
of the past week. |
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| One of the important festivals for the Peul people is called the Crossing of the Cattle. It takes place in a region along the Niger River where cattle are the backbone of the economy. During the dry season the herders leave their families for several months and go North of the river looking for grass. When the rains come the herders can return to their families. As they swim with the cattle back across the river, the whole town is there to greet and celebrate their safe return. Every home is decorated for this festival. For this courtyard three fingers were dipped in white wash creating a cat’s paw pattern. |
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 Jola dancers Gambia |
The
Jola people live in southern Senegal and Gambia where they cultivate
rice, peanuts and millet and harvest palm wine. They typically dance
to celebrate the harvest, marriages, naming ceremonies, funerals, and
just for fun. A solo drummer playing an array of four drums and the
singing of the audience accompanied these dancers. On this occasion
two American music producers who are documenting traditional music of
West Africa were recording the drummer. The dancers were having fun
while the music was being recorded. |
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This
village had gotten together as a community to build a well. It made
life so much easier for the women and children whose job it is to fetch
and carry water. Also now the villagers have good water to drink and
water to irrigate their gardens. This was one of the young farmers who
lived in the village. His straw hat helped him survive the heat as he
worked in the fields. |
 Young man wearing a sunhat Missira-Wadene, Senegal |
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The Kenya National Museum invited its members to go on a camel safari in Northern Kenya. The camel caretakers were Samburu men earning money in the tourism business. On the last day of our safari as the sun was setting low in the sky they performed a traditional warrior dance for the guests. |
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