Once again, photographer Lisa Kristine brings us the extraordinary people from far-off worlds. This time, Mali and Morocco. Hiking 15 miles a day in sweltering heat and Sahara winds of 60 miles an hour, Lisa admits that it was a difficult trip. There was no shelter under trees, she had to sleep on rooftops, water was scarce, and the sandstorms not only broke two of her cameras but limited her visibility to near zero. When she arrived back home in San Francisco, she was heartbroken to find most of her images ruined. But she was grateful for the precious time she spent just being with the Malian and Moroccan people, having rich conversations with them and sharing ideas and possibilities. Lisa has a word for this. She calls it “feasting.”
[Editor’s note: I’m sorry. The below pictures have been lost. I’m keeping the text here, hoping someday I will find them. In the meantime, we have another story by Lisa Kristine here: A Photographer at Home with the World.]
Indigo
A chief of the Fulani tribe along the great Niger River, wearing the traditional Malian indigo cloth. “He is an incredible individual,” Lisa said. “We sailed on this funky boat down the Niger with this sown together rice sack tapestry sail. I love the look in his eye. He’s got that foresight and leadership.” Photo courtesy of Lisa Kristine.
Stairwell
Taken from a village in Morocco called Chefchaouen, the steps in this photograph are sometimes mistaken for blocks of ice. Every year, the people paint the entire town in preparation for an Islamic Festival in February. The whole village, its archways, dwellings, streets and alleys, is painted in shades of periwinkle and blue. “It’s a very pretty town. It’s like being in fairyland,” Lisa said.
Tuareg
Lisa met this man in Timbuktu, Mali. The Tuareg people are a nomadic tribe traveling the great Sahara desert in salt caravans, using the star-studded night as their compass. Their camels carry huge slabs of salt. The men wear only blue and are called bluemen, because the dyes in the fabric they wear bleed onto their skin, leaving their skin blue. Lisa asked the Tuareg people what was the most important thing in their life. Their reply was “liberty.”
Dwelling
Chefchaouen, Morocco. The door of this very old home is so small, the inhabitants must kneel in order to enter.
More stories about Lisa Kristine Huff.
Lisa Kristine: A Photographer at Home with the World
For more of Lisa’s photos, please visit her website at: www.migrationphotography.com.
