Niger: Wodaabe Nomads On The Way To A Dance

In 1969, when I took this picture, black-and-white was still much in use because it was much cheaper to print. Still, I needed to shoot in color as well, which I did. Because zoom lenses had not yet reached professional quality I used only primary lenses. And to be ready for anything happening, I always worked with two cameras, a Leica M2 with a 35 mm lens and a Nikon F with a 105 mm lens. I also carried a similar pair of cameras so equipped to shoot black-and-white. Thankfully, those cameras were relatively small and light compared to professional digital cameras today, of which you need only one toady for any situation. Additionally, for when I had the time to change lenses, I carried Nikon lenses of 20, 28, and 50 mm in a pouch on my belt. Still, I used my Leica the most, as it was the easiest to hide when necessary to shoot unobtrusively, and because I liked to shoot close to my subjects.

I shot this picture in Niger’s Sahel while working on four books on African children of different countries. But my experience with this tribe, the Woodabe, and that of the Tuareg, who I was also shooting there, got me the following year a National Geographic assignment to do a chapter on each of those tribes for their book, Nomads of the World. At that time I would shoot only color.

The men here are singing at the rhythm of their companion’s hand-clapping. They are on their way to a Yakey dance, which doubles as a male beauty contest, where they will grimace comically, rolling eyes and showing teeth to display their whiteness, as I have shown in previous posts.

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Photo de 1969 de nomades Wodaabe, connus aussi comme Bororo, en chemin vers un yakey, une  danse qui est à la fois un concours de beauté masculine. Joyeux, ils chantent, rythmés par les battements de mains de leur compagnon.