BODIS: VERY BIG IS BEAUTIFUL
Every June, in Omo Valley in Ethiopia, the Bodi tribe celebrates their new year, the « Kael ». For 6 months, certain men from the tribe will ingest only fresh milk and blood from the cows in the hopes of being the biggest man. Everybody will take care of them, the girls bringing milk every morning. When the Kael comes around, the fattest man wins great fame.
This area has kept his traditions despite the force of globalization.
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TIMKAT IN ETHIOPIA
Celebrating the Baptism of Christ, every January, Timkat is the greatest festival of Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia. It celebrates the Baptism of Christ in the river Jordan by John the Baptist. The festivities begin in the 3rd week of January, the day before Epiphany which, according to the Julian calendar, falls on 19th January.
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FACEBOOK WAS BORN IN ETHIOPIA
Most of the people living in Alaba in Southern Ethiopia are farmers. They have a propensity to decorate the walls of their houses in a very unique style, both inside and outside. The main goal of these paintings is to depict what the house owner likes, his life, his religion or his dreams. Nobody knows when this art started, but many in Alaba say that this is the first Facebook!
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I'M 20, I LIVE IN NORTH KOREA
Miss Kim is 20. She lives in Pyongyang. She’s studying English. She was lucky enough to come with me during a trip to North Korea as an assistant guide. She had never previously left Pyongyang. It was a unique opportunity for her to explore her own country. Though she was shy at first, she became talkative as the days went on, letting me in on the everyday lives of North Koreans, without ever crossing over the Party line.
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ASMARA: PICCOLO ROMA
Asmara is the capital of Eritrea, famous for his long war with its neighbor, Ethiopia. Eritrea is a former Italian colony, full of incredible architecture constructed in the 1930s. Some call it the Miami of Africa as many Modern and Art Deco buildings can be seen. During colonialism, only white Italians inhabited them, and Eritreans were forbidden from entering them.
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THE GAMES ARE BACK IN NORTH KOREA
The Arirang mass games were stopped in 2013. The north korean government announced that they will return in 2018 to celebrate the 9th of September that marks the DPRK's 70th Anniversary. This incredible spectacle of gymnastics, acrobatics, dance and propaganda featured some 100,000 participants, and drew spectators from all over the world, including USA, for what was the biggest and most elaborate human performance on Earth.
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UNVEILED SUDAN
The legendary Nile, practically undiscovered pyramids, brightly colored markets, gigantic caravans of camels, lagoons of crystal waters and unknown tribes all await me! I leave my credit card at home since the USA has cut off access to ATMs as part of the embargo against the Sudan. I prepare to give up alcohol, in accordance with the Islamic law the country is under.
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THE QUEEN IN SLIPPERS
The Queen of the Okwanyama lives in Omhedi village, in the Ovambo area, Namibia. She lives in a palace, surrounded by tall concentric wooden fences made of Mopane wood that create a labyrinth. These serve not only to protect from the enemies but also from the elephants which still try to enter the villages and eat their food. Only the locals know the way to enter inside the palace, built to disorient invaders.
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A TOURIST IN SOMALIA
“Don’t get kidnapped!” This was the most frequent response I would get when I told people I was going to Somalia. I tried to explain that I was going to Somaliland, an autonomous region which had even experienced a peaceful transition of power through democratic elections. However, the stories of lawlessness, images of weapon-clad pirates, and of course Black Hawk Down made it impossible to change their minds.
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FORGOTTEN ANGOLA
Angola is sadly infamous for its civil war, which lasted over 30 years. Today the country is at peace. It’s one of the most important producers of oil in Africa, but is still one of the poorest countries in the world. China is omnipresent. I’ll visit the south of Angola, with its many landscapers, natural sites, tribes, colonial towns and the Lisuthianian population who are very hospitable to their very few visitors.
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QOYLLUR RITI IN ANDES
We’re in Peru, but two hours from the crowded streets of Cusco. We’re in the mountains, but far from the “must-see” ruins of Machu Picchu. Welcome to the Sinakara Valley, located deep in the Andes, where the thin air and freezing temperatures are no match for genuine devotion.
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SINGSING IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Every year at Mount Hagen, in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, the biggest reunion of tribes in the world takes place. In a region where the first white man was seen in 1930, traditions are still strong, and the pride of the tribes takes precedence over modernity. The festival was created in 1964 by Australian colonists to pacify the tribes.
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TAPATI IN EASTER ISLAND
Every year on Easter Island, the planet’s most isolated island, the Tapati festival takes place. The island splits into two clans, led by two pretty young girls for whom teams will have to collect points by taking part in sporting or cultural events, on stage, land and sea! One of them will be the Queen of 2012, the dream of every little Rapanui girl.
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TROBRIAND: THE FORGOTTEN PARADISE
On Trobriand Island, there’s no tv or electricity, no police, no thieves, few cars, and sex is casual for everybody.The national sport: half nude girls playing cricket. Money is still made from dried banana leaves. It may seem like Paradise, but in recent years, harvests haven’t been good. Men need to go in Port Moresby to work, and sometimes return infected with AIDS. The paradise is turning into hell…
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PORTUGUESE IMPRINT IN ANGOLA
Angola was a Portuguese colony for a long time before slipping into a civil war. Once peace came about, many Portuguese buildings had fortunately been spared including government buildings, casinos, and cinemas. I ventured from Luanda to the coastal towns of as Lobito, Namibe, and Sumbe in search of art deco gems. It’s a flashback to a glorious past which could rise again thanks to the great wealth contained in the soil of Angola.
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AFRICA TOP SECRET CEREMONY
Meet the Karrayyu, a pastoralist tribe within the Oromo ethnic group, Ethiopia’s largest. While many Oromos have left behind traditions of the past under the force of globalization, the Karrayyu have managed to maintain their customs which date back centuries. Their lives are governed by a complex socio-political system known as “Gadaa”. The parties go through a cycle of five eight-year grades, each requiring new responsibilities.
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BULL JUMPING CEREMONY
The Bull Jumping ceremony is the most important rite for the Hamer tribe of Ethiopia. It represents a life-changing event for the young man, known as « Ukuli », who passes from boyhood into adulthood. The Ukuli needs to walk 4 times across the back of 10 cows. If he succeeds, he is considered to have put aside childish things and is allowed to marry. If he fails to do so, his family will be shamed and he won’t be able to marry a girl.
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STOLEN LAND IN AFRICA
Ethiopia is building one of the most powerful hydroelectric dams in Africa: the Gibe 3. The dam will also change the lives of all of the 200,000 tribal inhabitants of the region who depend on the Omo River. The government plans to move them all to new villages, where they are promised access to heath and education. These tribes, whose way of life depends on agriculture and livestock, are seeing their ecosystem totally thrown into disarray.
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DONGA FIGHTING IN SURMA TRIBE
The Surma live in southern Ethiopia. They have had to fight to protect their land and cattle, especially against their enemies, the Nyangatom. Civil War in Sudan flooded the area with guns. In this context of continuous insecurity, Surmas have to display their courage, their virility, and their strength, and Donga is a unique occasion to perpetuate their legend. In most cases, stick fighting is a way for warriors to find girlfriends.
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XINJIANG: GO WEST!
Like in Tibet, the Chinese government changes the face of Xinjiang, home to the Uyghur people. The arrival of the Hans has boosted the local economy by bringing new motorways, airports and sanitary infrastructures. 65,000 Uyghur families must be moved into rent-controlled apartments in Kashgar. The Uyghurs now represent only 46% of the population of this important city on the Silk Road. There has been a real colonization from the interior.
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NORTH KOREA vs USA
People wearing Nike caps and Mickey Mouse shirts, driving Hummers, drinking Coca-Cola, using Windows on their computers… No, you are not in the USA, but in North Korea! North Koreans love symbols of typical US commercialism (although most of them are fake brands made in China) but at the same time, they also hate the American imperialists.
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THE NAMIBIAN SANS
The San are famous around the world thanks to the film “The Gods Must Be Crazy” and also to their unique clicking language. They live in Botswana, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and in the Tsumkwe area in Namibia’s Kalahari. The San have lived in this region for 23,000 years. The San hunter-gatherer culture is in transition, and remains under constant threats from social prejudice, poverty, as well as assimilation into other cultures.
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HIMBAS SECRETS IN NAMIBIA
Approximately 10,000 Himba pastoralists live in the Kaokoland, northwest Namibia along Cunene river. Another 3,000 live in Angola. The Himba are nomadic, moving place to place in search of better grazing lands for their goats. According to a local proverb, “A Himba is nothing without his cattle.” Himba women spend several hours each morning making themselves as beautiful as possible since hairstyle is an indicator of status.
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THE PROUD OX CEREMONY IN OMO
In the lands around the Omo River in Ethiopia, 200,000 people live, divided among various traditional tribes. The Dassanech are one of these many tribes. Tensions are high, even within tribal clans, as the cows, their treasure, are starving due to the increased scarcity of grazing pastures. Near Omorate, people tell me the Dassanech tribe have a big celebration. More than 200 warriors armed with kalashnikovs are celebrating their oxes.
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NORTH KOREAN FASHIONNISTAS
In North Korea, women do not read Elle or Vogue; they just glimpse a few styles by watching TV or by observing the foreigners. Clothing also reflects social status. Chinese products have inundated the country, adding some color to the traditional outfits that were made of vynalon fiber. But citizens beware, too much style means you’re forgetting the North Korean Juche, the ethos of self-reliance that the country is founded on!
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THE NEW FOOTBALL STARS
Thousands of Football shirts of Arsenal, Manchester, Chelsea, etc end their career in… Ethiopia. Those second hand clothes are bought by the local tribes. Most of them ignore the meaning of those shirts and just buy them for the color, the logo, or the shape.
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THE KURDS: WALK ON MY HEAD
Today there are close to 40 million Kurds in Syria, Iran, Turkey, and Iraq. Despite a tragic history full of genocide, mass migration, and war, the Kurds have built a reputation for being the world’s most welcoming people. I visited them in the two places in which their territory is recognized: the Kordestan province of Iran and the autonomous region of Kurdistan in Iraq.
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THE LAST EL MOLO IN KENYA
The El Molo tribe live on the shores of Lake Turkana, the largest desert lake in the world. With a population of only 200 pure-blooded people, they are the smallest, shortest, and poorest ethnic group in Kenya. Each year members of the tribe die of hunger. Many live thanks to help from their neighbors. The El Molo have always been a peaceful, quiet, and non-violent tribe.
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EL SOD: THE SALT OF LIFE
El Sod, the House Of Salt, is a village located 90 km away from Yabelo, the capital of Borana people in South Ethiopia. It stands on the edge of an extinct volcano and a salt lake in the crater. For centuries, men dive into the lake to collect the salt and sell it across Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.
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YEZEDIS BACK FROM HELL
Up to 200,000 yazedis people have been displaced from Sinjar when ISIS arrived by surprise. The islamist group asked the residents to convert or die…Hundreds of Yazidis were executed as they refused. Most of the people left the village on time, fleeing on foot in the mountains, under a 50 degrees temperature. They walked for 7 days. Many were killed, wounded or captured on the way…
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GRANDE HOTEL MOZAMBIQUE
The Beira Grande Hotel was once the most luxurious hotel in Africa. The giant complex had around 120 suites, a cinema, an Olympic swimming pool, a helicopter pad, restaurants, a bank, a post office – it was a city in itself. Since shutting down, this colonial dream has become a nightmare. After being used initially as military base during the civil war, the squatters moved in.
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REFUGEES IN A 5 STARS HOTEL
Outside of Dohuk, Iraq, what was supposed to be a 5 star hotel has become a nightmarish makeshift refugee camp for Yazidis refugees. After ISIS attacked Sinjar, massacring and enslaving the local Yazidi people, a few of those fortunate enough to escape have sought refuge at the 13 storey “Hotel Kayar”.
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THE KEEPERS OF THE SINGING WELLS
The Borana live in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. They are semipastoralists, and live in arid areas. Their lives revolve around their animals: camels, cows, sheep, goats, and donkeys. Livestock are their only wealth and are used in religious sacrifices or to pay for a bride or legal fines. But animals need to graze, so the Borana often have to move to find the best lands and take care of the vital wells…
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FIGHTING ISIS WITH 60’s AK47
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960.
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MAGICAL VANUATU
The inhabitants of Vanuatu, the « Ni-Vanuatu », have lived on these small islands for centuries and have retained many of their original customs, or « kustom », as they refer to them. They wear pig tusks which have great value, very sexy penis sheaths, their drums are 3 meters high, they own magic stones to bring rain, and the last cannibals lived on the island of Malekula not so long ago…
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READ MY FACE: TATTOOS IN BENIN
All across Benin, nearly every man and woman has a unique scar pattern or tattoo on their face to mark their ancestral tribal membership. Scarification practices are now illegal in bigger cities like Cotonou. As a disappearing art form, it survives largely in the rural areas. The Holi, Somba, Otammari, Fulani, and Fon ethnic groups still have impressive scars and tattoos.
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IRAN VS USA: LOVE AND HATE
The United States and Iran have resumed their talks on the lifting of the embargo. But in the streets of Iran, there is still a lot of propaganda against the Americans, showing Obama as a traitor and U.S. Marines as murderers. At the same time, Iranian people increasingly appear to be adopting an American way of life, using iPhones, eating in fake KFCs, drinking Pepsi, and wearing Nike shoes.
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THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU
Everywhere in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In houses, in offices, in hospitals, in the subway. They are always around you. If you look carefully, you will notice that the frames are tilted forward to avoid any glare that would make them difficult tosee. Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are to be seen. Kim Jong Un does not have a portrait yet.
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ATOMIC SURFERS FROM FUKUSHIMA
On 11 March 2011, Japan was hit by an earthquake which generated a tsunami. It hit the Daaichi nuclear power plant. In Tairatoyoma beach, a prefecture of Fukushima and some 50km from the nuclear plant, was among the most popular areas for Japanese surfers .Despite the presence of radiation in the sand and water, some dedicated surfers continue to come here to catch some waves.
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A TEEN ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD
Jumajhul belongs to the Wakhi people. He lives in the Pamir mountains in Afghanistan, at 4,600m above the sea level, in total isolation from the world and surrounded by yaks. He is probably the only teenager in the world who has never heard of Messi or Ronaldo. Although his life is very hard, he enjoys it and wouldn’t exchange it for anything.
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TOURISM IN HEZBOLLAND
With the war in Syria, the lebanese border has became a red zone where the western governments advise against all travel. Once on the field, only few military check points remind the rare travelers that the tension is high as life goes on. In the Beqaa Valley, Hezbollah rules. It is a Shia Islamist political, military and social organisation. They control areas hosting UNESCO site, and have built a museum to glorify the war against Israel.
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NORTH KOREAN FLAT IN SEOUL
During the Seoul Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism, two architects, Calvin Chua of Singapore and Yim Dong-woo of Seoul have built a full-scale mockup of a North Korean apartment. The same to the ones you can find in Pyongyang among the buildings which welcome middle class people. It is forbidden for South Koreans, with rare exceptions, to travel to North Korea. So the architects imagined bringing a piece of Pyongyang to Seoul.
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BACKPACKS VS JERRICANS
In the northeast of Ethiopia, Afar children are happy to go to school. But each day, they are unsure if they will be able toattend class as for months now, they have had to carry out a vital task first: searching for water. For their families and for themselves, to bring to school with them.In the arid territory where they live, they have been suffering the most severe drought in 50 years according to the United Nations.
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HIGHWAY TO YELL IN NORTH KOREA
Travelling on the highways in North Korea is a great experience, as it allows us to see the daily life of the country not controlled by the government. The roads are as large as airstrips, however in poor conditions with numerous bumpings and holes. Everything is planned when you visit North Korea, even the bathrooms stops! According to the guide, it is too dangerous to stop on the highway to make a pee!
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DROUGHT AND POWER
In March 2017, the 71th Aba Gada was chosen among the Borana tribe in south Ethiopia. This ceremony celebrates the election of traditional leader, which is held every 8 years since 560 years ago. Lately classified by UNESCO, this event occurs in a very special context : the Borana tribe, part of Oromo people, is suffering from drought for months.
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NORTH KOREAN GHOST TOWN
The Mt Kumgang complex in North Korea, was built in 1998 by Hyundai. The project included hotels, a spa, a fire station, a golf, a supermarket, a clinic… The South Koreans tourists were allowed to visit this part of North Korea. In July 2008, a South Korean tourist was shot dead there. As a result, South Korea stopped all the tours in North Korea. In retaliation, North Korea decided to seize the whole tourist complex.
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TOOTH FILLING IN BALI
Balinese tooth filing is an ancient tradition that predates Hinduism’s arrival on the island . It’s believed that a Balinese may be denied entry into heaven if the teeth are not filed, because he/she might be mistaken for a wild creature. The aim of the ceremony is to symbolically “cut down” on the six negative traits that are inherent in humans : lust, greed, wrath, pride, jealousy, and intoxication.
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ARMY IN NORTH KOREA
The very first order you receive from your guide when arriving in North Korea is NOT to take pictures of the soldiers. Many soldiers are used as a labor force to compensate for the ineffective North Korean economy, so the army is not only about military organization. North Korean soldiers can be seen working in fields, farms, or on construction sites in many places, far from military exercises.
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BEYOND THE PYONGYANG METRO
Built in 1970s, Pyongyang Metro includes only 17 stations on two lines, with a total length of 30 km. In Seoul it is about 300 km. Construction of the metro service began in 1968 and was inaugurated in 1973 by Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of Kim Jong Un. Each station is named after the revolution: Comrade, Red Star, Glory, Liberation, Signal Fire, Rehabilitation, Victory, Paradise, Restoration…
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