The Wodaabe is a nomadic Fulani tribe of sub-Saharan Niger. In order to attract wives, Wodaabe men wear make-up and don complex vestments, jewelry and turbans. They bare the whites of their eyes and teeth in exaggerated facial expressions as an attempt to charm their women. When my son Isaiah was six, he used to dash past this painting at night. He said that the eyes looked alive in the dark and scared him! |
