Junior, 22, wears an androgynous mask from the Fula ethnic group in this portrait taken in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Photographer Selim Harbi said Junior is proudly gay and that his passion is sewing: "He dreams to make clothes for stars and for (the poor) as well."
Junior, 22, wears an androgynous mask from the Fula ethnic group in this portrait taken in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Photographer Selim Harbi said Junior is proudly gay and that his passion is sewing: "He dreams to make clothes for stars and for (the poor) as well."
Selim Harbi
Jakou, 24, is a cartoonist and yoga teacher who moved to Burkina Faso after fleeing the Ivorian conflict in 2010. He is wearing a mask of peace from the Senufo people.
Jakou, 24, is a cartoonist and yoga teacher who moved to Burkina Faso after fleeing the Ivorian conflict in 2010. He is wearing a mask of peace from the Senufo people.
Selim Harbi
Lasso, 28, is a DJ in Ouagadougou. He is wearing a master of ceremonies mask from the Tchokwe ethnic group. "The night is his world. ... He dreams to produce music for local bands," Harbi said.
Lasso, 28, is a DJ in Ouagadougou. He is wearing a master of ceremonies mask from the Tchokwe ethnic group. "The night is his world. ... He dreams to produce music for local bands," Harbi said.
Selim Harbi
Judith, 22, wears a mask of fertility from the Dogon ethnic group. She's a student in Ivory Coast who dreams of a career as a model, Harbi said.
Judith, 22, wears a mask of fertility from the Dogon ethnic group. She's a student in Ivory Coast who dreams of a career as a model, Harbi said.
Selim Harbi
Hoseni, 17, repairs broken cars in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He is called "Petit," or small, and his monkey mask is from the Hembe ethnic group.
Hoseni, 17, repairs broken cars in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He is called "Petit," or small, and his monkey mask is from the Hembe ethnic group.
Selim Harbi
Serge, 30, is an artist in Accra, Ghana. His mask is from the Bambara people. "Plastic is a Western manufactured product, polluting the environment and transforming our social comportments," he told Harbi. "I want to transform it into art and have a social impact with it."
Serge, 30, is an artist in Accra, Ghana. His mask is from the Bambara people. "Plastic is a Western manufactured product, polluting the environment and transforming our social comportments," he told Harbi. "I want to transform it into art and have a social impact with it."
Selim Harbi
Long John, 54, is a jazz legend in Accra who performs around the world and teaches music. He's wearing the Fang people's mask of the magician.
Long John, 54, is a jazz legend in Accra who performs around the world and teaches music. He's wearing the Fang people's mask of the magician.
Selim Harbi
Susanne, 23, wears a mask from the Dogon people. She is training to be a sculptor in Ouagadougou.
Susanne, 23, wears a mask from the Dogon people. She is training to be a sculptor in Ouagadougou.
Selim Harbi
Jaqueline, 32, wears the Baoule mask of a queen. She teaches Portuguese in Accra.
Jaqueline, 32, wears the Baoule mask of a queen. She teaches Portuguese in Accra.
Selim Harbi
Twin sisters Mary and Marian, 23, are models studying fashion design in Accra. Harbi told them: "You are twins, and for me the moon and the sun are like twins. After the sun, there's always the moon, and after the moon, there's always a sun. One cannot live without the other and they are always linked forever." The masks are from the Baoule people.
Twin sisters Mary and Marian, 23, are models studying fashion design in Accra. Harbi told them: "You are twins, and for me the moon and the sun are like twins. After the sun, there's always the moon, and after the moon, there's always a sun. One cannot live without the other and they are always linked forever." The masks are from the Baoule people.
Selim Harbi