In February of last year, I joined a friend of mine for a trip out to this village I had never visited before where a friendly Muslim Sheik was due to greet us. He had been warned we were on the way and he was prepared to allow us to photograph him and his family.
This Malawian Sheik, a Yawo by tribe, is an expert at making something called talismu, basically magical charms that people buy and wear to help to ward off evil. Within these charms (bracelets, necklaces) there is usually a common component: scriptures from the Qur’an written down on a piece of paper and folded up into a tiny bunch. You can see some of the tools of the trade lined up on the floor in the image background.
This photo was my favorite image from the series I took, our goal being to get a good shot for a soon-to-be-published book about Yawo worldview and culture.
