"The world is a mirror; it looks at you the same way you look at it." North African proverb

This young Peul girl prepares for the annual 'Crossing of the Cattle' Festival which takes place along the Niger River. The festival is a celebration of the return of the cattle herders who spent the dry season searching for food for the cattle. The return of the men symbolizes their having attained manhood.

Diafarabé, Mali, 1994