Patrick Willocq: I am Walé Respect MeFor the Ekondas, the most important moment in the life of a wom
Patrick Willocq: I am Walé Respect MeFor the Ekondas, the most important moment in the life of a woman is the birth of her first child. The young mother (usually 15 to 18), called Walé (“primiparous nursing mother”), then returns to her parents where she remains secluded for a period of 2 to 5 years (usually if her husband disappears). During her seclusion, a Walé is under very special care. Her mother introduces her to her new social role. By strictly respecting the sex taboo during this whole period, she is given a similar status to that of a patriarch. The end of her seclusion is marked by a dancing and singing ritual. The choreography and the songs have a very codified structure but are unique creations specific to each Walé. She sings the story of her own loneliness, and with humor praises her behavior while discrediting her Walé rivals.For this project Willocq worked closely with the Walé as collaborators, in creating a theatrical scenes that worked as visual representation of one of the subjects that the Walé would sing about on the day of her release from seclusion.**descriptions of each scene can be found in the captions of each photograph -- source link
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