30 25 May 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Photo Insight
I
f youaskedmewhyI
decidedtotraveltoSouth
Sudan,I wouldcitetwo
mainincentives.I actually
usedtoliveinEthiopia,whichis
rightnextdoortoSouthSudan,
andI wouldoftentakesmall
phototourstotheOmoregionof
Ethiopia.Someofthetribesthere
arefoundonbothsidesofSouth
SudanandtheEthiopianborder,
andconsequently,I hadalways
wantedtoseetheotherside.The
secondreasonwasthatI saw
SebastiãoSalgado’simagesofthe
cattlecampsyearsagoandhave
aspiredtogothereandcapturethe
atmosphereofthecampsmyself.
The Mundariarea smallethnic
groupinSouthSudancomprising
cattle-herdersandagriculturists.
Theyarea welcomingpeopleand
oftenturnedbriefly tothelensso
I couldtakepictures.Thatsaid,
theywerealwaysatwork.It was
veryeasyformetowalkthrough
thecampsandtakepicturesof
them.MygroupandI hadan
excellentlocalguidewhowasable
tofacilitateourphotographic
needsandcommunicatewiththe
Mundariwhennecessary.The
Mundariboysyouseeinthis
imageweresimplysitting,asthey
do,besidethemorningfire.Aswe
werewanderingaroundthecamp
thereweremanysuchscenes,and
wewatchedtheboysspreadash
alloverthecattle’sskin.This is a
waytoprotecttheanimalsfrom
insectbites.The Mundaridothe
sametotheirownskin,which
givesthema ghostlyappearance
astheywalkinbetween
theiranimals.
Allofthetribe’swealthliesin
theircattle– therearethousands
ofthem.Whentheyoungmenof
thetribegetmarriedthedowry
maybeasmuchas 40 cattle.
Whennightfalls,theMundari
sleepwiththeircattletoprotect
themandwillcarryKalashnikovs
orAK-47stowardoffnefarious
visitors.Sadly,cattlerustlingis
commonplaceandis a causeofTrevorColetellsOliverAtwellabout
hisphotoofSouthSudan’sMundari
people,whoworkandlivein
harmonywiththeirprizedcattle
Trevor Cole
Born in the City of Derry, Trevor Cole has lived most of his
life outside Ireland – in England, Singapore, Togo, Italy,
Ethiopia and Brazil. He returned to Ireland (Donegal) in- He has been published in magazines, calendars and
cards, and his photos have been exhibited in Ethiopia,
Switzerland and Ireland. See 500px.com/trevcole.
Morning
Wa r mt h
from
the Fire
serious confl ict. Th e Ankole-
Watusi cattle (you can see some in
the background of the image)
have the largest horns I have ever
seen and the biggest of the cattle
in the herd may be worth $500.
During the day, the cattle disperse
from the banks of the Nile into
the long grasses of the alluvial
fl oodplain but then, instinctively,
always return at dusk.
Th e more you see, the more you
realise there is an inextricable
bond between the tribe and their© TREVOR COLE
By Trevor Cole
cattle. Th e way they lead them;
rub ash into their skins to protect
them from insects; attend to their
needs; use their milk, dung and
urine – all of this suggests a truly
deep connection. It is a symbiotic
relationship where there is an
understanding of the cattle
which goes beyond standard
animal husbandry. Th e Mundari
take pride in their animals and
the whole community of man
and beast is interconnected. I
have never seen anything like it.