Bridal Gifts that aren’t for the Bride
In the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, a Fulani wedding has taken place. Friends and family of the bride carry gifts and possessions – pots and pans, blankets, textiles, decorative flowers, and other items – from the bride’s home to her new home with her husband. Surprisingly, many of these gifts are not [...]
A Burkinabe Baptism
The image below is from a Fulani baptism that I was able to attend in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, on the third day of our November 2010 trip. Muslim families celebrate the birth of a child on the 7th day after birth, and women throughout the city – friends and family – congregated [...]
January 2011 Calendar Wallpaper: An Intense Gaze
In West Africa, certain villages have markets that “assemble” at regular intervals, such as weekly or every three days. People from villages around the region come on market day to buy and sell food, livestock, and other goods and services. Last month, I visited the village of Bourro in northern Burkina Faso on its market [...]
Peace Be With You from Djibo, Burkina Faso
Here is another photo from Tabaski. Yuma and Aissama (Tabaski’s meat thief), sit by the barbecue, their faces illuminated by the fire. It reminds me of Tracy Chapman’s song, “Heaven’s Here on Earth,” in her “New Beginnings” album. You can look to the stars in search of the answers Look for God and life on [...]
Fatimata: Fulani Girl in Djibo, Burkina Faso
Sorry I’ve been absent from my blog!!! We spent the last three weeks in the sleepy town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, where I quickly discovered the internet to be TORTUROUSLY slow. There, a 20 kbps download speed is super fast, and that’s…um…slower than dial up! Nevertheless, we’ve been having an AWESOME time, and [...]
Maternity Glow
Yesterday, I was over at Kristen & Dan’s house for a maternity photo shoot. Their second is due in just 1 1/2 weeks! But for the moment, while he’s still in mommy’s belly, we took the opportunity to capture this special moment in all of their lives. Owen, who’s now almost four, was also super [...]
2010 DC Carribean Carnival Parade
Last Saturday was the 2010 DC Caribbean Carnival, which is held every year during the last weekend of June. It launches with a parade with dancers in traditional Carribean carnival costumes. My husband and I rushed into DC early Saturday morning, still 30 minutes late, only to find that this really IS a Caribbean Carnival! [...]
Mali: The Makings of a Pot
I recently returned from Mali, where my friend, Melanie, and I had the opportunity to visit the pottery village of Kalabougou, a 45-minute motorized canoe ride down the Niger River from Segou. Click here to see the complete photo story, Mali: The Makings of a Pot.