John Addai (from 'The Wild Honey Collectors, Techiman District, Ghana' series)

Notes

In his landmark series, photographer Pieter Hugo captured a group of honey collectors in the Ghanaian jungle. Each sitter, shot singly and centrally, is dressed in the tools of his trade, with collars and sleeves stuffed with bee-repellent twigs and leaves. On each appears contemporary, western markers - Disney logos, gumboots and plastic masks, for instance - which haul the time-worn tradition very much into the present. John Addai, the focus of the present example, clutches a bundle of sticks and a bouquet of leaves: at a glance, he is both domestic provider and guerrilla soldier.

Exhibited

Stevenson, Cape Town, Pieter Hugo: Wild Honey Collectors, Techiman District, Ghana, 2005, 22 February to 25 March 2006.