Young Wodaabe men compete in a beauty contest each year during the Cure Salee. The men dress as uniquely as possible within their limited means. They make their own jewelry and use old military buttons to decorate their turbans. They trade with the Touareg for the silver jewelry made by the Touareg vassals. I think they make their own make up. It looks rather like clay. The tunic of the man on the left is embroidered by a Wodaabe woman. This chain stitch is typical of their work.

Yaake dance. I don’t know if the guy in red was a contestant or not. He stood in front of the line.

The Geerewol or beauty contest took place at dusk and I was restricted by my choice of film. (100 ASA). Most likely I pushed this accounting for the grainy quality. To make matters worse, I had inadvertantly left my yellow filter on my lens! Somedays you can’t win. Thanks to Photoshop, I am able to bring back most of the true colors.

The men are constantly moving as they imitate the movements of a camel. They hiss, roll their eyes, show their white teeth and rise up and down on their toes to make themselves look taller.

He was the winner. He has a pleasant expression and I think I might have chosen him myself.

A young Wodaabe boy is pleased to have his photo taken. Notice the red leather pouches hanging from his neck. These are called ‘magany’ and this could be interpreted as ‘medicine’. They contain Koranic verses written by the hand of an Imam and bring the wearer good luck. I’m sure his mother gave them to him.

He looks as if he is sick of these danged beauty contests. His makeup is a mess, all blobby and he does not have a special costume. I felt sorry for him. He seemed lonely.

The girl on the right, holding her hand to her face is the judge. She is pretending to be so shy that she cannot bear to look at the men in the dance. The older woman is enjoying herself, calling to the men, teasing them maybe.

Another Wodaabe who thinks he is handsome. Look how thin! They don’t eat much, just milk and millet. Sometimes they will slaughter an animal, but rarely.

Look at his expression. He didn’t want me there. I was interrupting his beauty regimen which was carried out by the three females. Maybe I was bringing bad luck?

These guys are giving it their all.

I went behind the line of dancers to try to get some spontaneous shots. Here is a man checking his face with a hand mirror. They didn’t really want me there because they don’t want to be seen until they are completely ready. I understand that. I feel the same way. He was not rude, but I sensed he was not ready for his photo to be taken.

(Source: rosemarysheel.smugmug.com)