Blue Man

Gorom-Gorom, Burkina Faso, 2006

We met this Tuareg in the market town of Gorom-Gorom in the northwestern corner of Burkina Faso. We arrived on a Thursday. It was market day and the town was alive with a colorful mix of Peul, Mossi, Tuareg, and other tribal groups buying and selling everything from camels to Chinese house wares. 

Getting there had been a wet slog. It had been raining for days, leaving long sections of the road from Ouagadougou submerged and us wondering if there would be nice light for photography. When I look at this photo, that's often what I think about. I think about the wet slog up to Gorom-Gorom and how lucky we were to have a few moments of good light.