Le Sahel est connu pour ses sécheresses à répétition et ses famines catastrophiques. A Keita, au cœur du Niger, des femmes luttent depuis 1984 contre la désertification. Alors que les hommes ont préféré l’exode, elles ont décidé de rester et de s’unir afin de faire face à ce que l’on considérait alors comme inéluctable : l’avancée du désert. Munies de pelles, de pioches et de beaucoup de courage, ces « femmes bulldozers », comme on les surnomme là-bas, ont redonné vie à une région où auparavant on mourait de faim. Sous l’impulsion de leur leader Mme Mayaki Aminata, ces femmes sont aujourd’hui organisées en groupements et ont créé une banque réservée aux femmes afin de pouvoir gérer leur gain financier.
In Keita, in the heart of Niger and the Sahel Desert, women have been fighting against desertification since 1984. While the men preferred to leave, they decided to stay and join forces. The women of the village of Ibohamane leave for their work site. There, they will pick up the stones one by one.
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A woman from the village of Ibohamane sets off for work.
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The women start by eradicating all the stones from the earth, which they transport on their heads.
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The women of the village of Ibohamane build rock walls which serve to protect the ground from wind.
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With a rock on the head and a child on the back, the chores of an African woman are far from easy.
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Like an army, the women are determined to conquer the encroaching desert.
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The women carry the stones on their heads.
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The temperature is 45° at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Drinking whenever possible is an absolute must.
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Using picks and shovels, they dig 70 cm deep trenches which will serve to retain what little water there is.
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The pick-axe, a rudimentary tool that helps achieve miracles in this part of the world.
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The women take turns with the pick and shovel. They are digging 70 cm deep trenches which will serve to retain what little water there is.
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The women take turns with the pick and shovel. They are digging 70 cm deep trenches which will serve to retain what little water there is.
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Aminata Mayaki, the project's coordinator since the beginning, provides unfailing support to the villagers.
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By drawing lots, they become the owners of plots of land. Their only obligation is to plant a mango tree, whose roots will stabilise the ground.
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By drawing lots, they become the owners of plots of land. Their only obligation is to plant a mango tree, whose roots will stabilise the ground.
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After several years of work, they are now starting to reap the fruits of their labour. Here, tomatoes and squash.
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Gradually fields have replaced the stones. An irrigation system allows for the production of corn and tomatoes.
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By drawing lots, they became the owners of plots of land. Their only obligation is to plant a mango tree, whose roots will stabilise the ground.
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Twenty years ago, the inhabitants of the Keita region were dying of hunger. Today, the earth provides beautiful, red, juicy tomatoes.
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Gradually fields have replaced the stones. An irrigation system allows for the production of corn and tomatoes. Here, a woman poses in her field.
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A woman in the middle of her onion field. She supervises her employees.
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In order to better manage their earning, they started their own bank. Here, the owner poses in front of the counter.
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The market in Tamaské. Each village has a market and each market provides an occasion to sell one's harvest.
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The money made from the market allows for investments in livestock.
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They built attics in which to store seeds. Now there are no more shortages.
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The market in Tamaské. Each village has a market and each market provides an occasion to sell one's harvest.
DUW0042529x © William Dupuy