Images

To be Fulani is to own cows – and to own cows is to milk them. Sometimes it’s the man who milks the cow, sometimes it’s the woman. Sometimes this depends on the temperament of the cow – my friend Adamah told me that there are some cows that only his wife is able to milk. Here is a photo from a few years ago of the fundamental Fulani trinity: husband, wife, cow.

I went to Djibo cattle market last week and got talking to Siita Tal from Deou. He had come to the market to sell this fine black Zebu bull. ‘Could you get a bit closer to the bull?’ I asked in Fulfulde as I lined up the shot.
‘A’aa, heyi,‘ he replied. ‘No, this is just fine.’

It’s not easy herding sheep this big!