15 photos.
MV VictoriaBukoba, Tanzania, 2003
This ferry goes to and from Mwanza three times a week. A similar ferry, the MV Bukoba, sank in an accident near Mwanza in 1996, and hundreds of passengers were drowned.
mosqueBobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 1996
West Africa has a long history of Islamic influence, especially near the Sahara desert. This mosque is over a hundred years old, yet it is built primarily of mud. It is much smaller than the famous ones in Mali.
blacksmith's chamberBobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 1996
The traditional blacksmith is still needed in the rural areas, though the tools are gradually modernizing.
storage areaBobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 1996
Houses in Burkina Faso are built of mud, stone or straw. This mud village was relatively traditional, and there were many locations for sacrificing animals. To get to this village, I rode on the back of a small motorcycle. I also toured a stone village on a hill and a pond with giant sacred catfish.
Pont de Lianes (vine bridge)Man, Cote D'Ivoire, 1996
Near the border between Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea, the Dan people still construct bridges out of vines. The bridges appear overnight, so that nobody knows exactly who constructed or hung them.
tree trunkMan, Cote D'Ivoire, 1996
Varieties of these trees grow to enormous heights. The roots of this tree do not go very deep because the soil of tropical forests is relatively thin. Ribs in the trunk support the tree like the buttresses of a cathedral. The tropical forests in Cote d'Ivoire have mostly been cleared, and I saw truckloads of huge logs, but Gabon is one country that still has large reserves of tropical forest.
twisted treeMan, Cote D'Ivoire, 1996
Many trees take on a monstrous, grotesque appearance, twisted by some unknown combination of wind, weather, animals, people and spirits.
women carrying bundles of thatch (grass)Oshikango, Namibia, 1996
The Owambo people of the region have adopted western dress, influenced by missionaries who arrived about a century ago. Women in Namibia, as in other countries of Africa, do most of the physical labour on farms. In the background is the Oshikango border post. There is a large amount of trade near the Angolan border, especially since the end of the Angolan civil war in 1994. The women may have brought the thatch from Angola, which is less densely populated and less deforested. The thatch is sold at markets and used for roofing.
oshanaEngela, Namibia, 1996
The northern part of Namibia is flat and becomes wetter as you go north and east. The rainy season lasts roughly from December to April, and oshanas (seasonal lakes) fill, flowing slowly southward from Angola toward the Etosha pan, where it provides water for the wildlife in Etosha National Park. The roads become muddy and difficult to navigate. Still, the rain is sporadic and unpredictable, and drought affects crops.
