Sahel

The Sahel is a region just south of the Sahara desert where trees are scarce. One type of tree that grows in this region is the baobab tree, also called the "tree of life" because it provides food, medicine, and shade for the people who live there. The Fulani are nomads and the women are considered to be the most beautiful in West Africa. I met the little girl in orange when I stayed a week in a village in northern Benin in 1996. I had gone there to draw with a friend of mine and this little girl was our constant companion. I chose to combine these images as a tribute to the beauty that I discovered in this part of the world.