Public Project
Wedding in exile
In respect with muslim tradition, I was not allowed, as a man, to stay with Bakina and her friends until the second day. Therefore I have essentially experienced and photographed Abdelai’s ceremony.
On the first day, the groom celebrated with his friends but, as tradition, he was not allowed to speak to them.
During the second day, they celebrated the official ceremony of the wedding. Abdelai discovered Bakina’s face, previously hidden under a white veil, and took her hand.
On the third day, all the guests ate a lunch made of camel meat. Then, traditional music and dances accompanied the last moments of the celebration.
Even if the ceremony was great, the overall feeling of happiness was punctuated by brief moments of silence. They seemed to be due to the monotony of everyday life in one of the most inhospitable landscape on Earth.
3,600
