"To possess the world in the form of images is, precisely, to re-experience the unreality and remoteness of the the real." Susan Sontag, On Photography
Biwa, an esteemed Kara elder and charismatic leader, vogued this near-surreal pose during preparations for an evening communal dance in Korcho, a small settlement set high on the east bank of Ethiopia's lower Omo River.
Adorned with finger-painted white-chalk body markings and brass earrings. The ivory lip-button and clay hair bun with ostrich feather reflect a "culture of heroism" shared with other tribes in the region, one that glorifies and rewards individual acts of bravery for killing an enemy or a dangerous wild animal.
The dry savanna grasslands and iconic Acacia trees at the fringe of the settlement are indigenous to this remote region. The region is part of Ethiopia's Great Rift Valley that extends south through the Horn of Africa to Kenya and Tanzania. Shot near the end of a long dry season regularly exceeding 40°C in the shade.
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Street Portraiture | Social Documentary | BodyArt
Peoples of the Omo Valley
