ONGOING PROJECT
Straddling delicacy and masculinity, this series chronicles the Boukout rite of passage within the Diola community in southern Senegal.
In the village of Sengalene, it had not taken place since 1979; a 47-year wait separates the most recent initiates from the new novices who are about to enter the world of adult men.
The ritual includes spending about a month in the sacred forest of the village, the elders initiate and guide the novices throughout this journey.
Women and foreigners are strictly forbidden to approach the sacred wood and are not meant to know what happens in there. What we do know, is that the cultural heritage of a people as troubled as the Diola will not be lost.
In the village of Sengalene, it had not taken place since 1979; a 47-year wait separates the most recent initiates from the new novices who are about to enter the world of adult men.
The ritual includes spending about a month in the sacred forest of the village, the elders initiate and guide the novices throughout this journey.
Women and foreigners are strictly forbidden to approach the sacred wood and are not meant to know what happens in there. What we do know, is that the cultural heritage of a people as troubled as the Diola will not be lost.
This project explores themes such as waiting and growth in a slow, forward-looking path.
Jeanne d'Arc in the courtyard in the village next to Sengalene, Casamance region, Senegal. August 12, 2026.
Young girl runs under the falling rain during the rainy season in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 15, 2026.
A chick pecks at rice husks on the ground; rice cultivation is one of the main economic activities in the Casamance region. Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 22, 2026.
Jeanne d'Arc posing in traditional clothes and jewellery during the Boukout ceremony in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 5, 2026.
Noura resting her head on Jari’s back whilst they help the adults to make pearl necklaces for the Boukout ceremony in Sengalene village, Casamance reagion, southern Senegal. August 12, 2026.
Preparation of the ‘basis’ – traditional pearl necklaces – by the village women to adorn the men as they leave the sacred forest during the Boukout ceremony in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 12, 2026.
Noura watches the rain falling during the rainy season in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 8, 2026.
Stefano, a novice at the Boukout ceremony vigil, seating on the bed in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 22, 2026.
Firing of a ceremonial cannon during the Boukout ritual in Sengalene, Casamance region, Senegal. August 5, 2026.
Loading the cannon for the Boukout ceremony in Sengalene village, Casamance region, southern Senegal. August 17, 2026.
A bomber drinks alcohol during the Boukout ceremonies in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 22, 2026.
Portrait of Guido, a novice at the Boukout ceremony vigil in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 22, 2026.
Stefano (left) and Guido (right), two Diola brothers, are on their way to their Boukout ceremonies in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 22, 2026.
Diola novices waiting for elders indications at the Boukout ceremonies in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 22, 2026.
Novices with shaved heads making their way towards the sacred forest during the Boukout ceremony in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 22, 2026.
Demonstrations of invulnerability by the initiates during the Boukout festival in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 5, 2026.
Men gather to celebrate the entry of novices into the sacred forest during the Boukout ritual in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 5, 2026.
The villagers accompany the novices towards the sacred forest during the Boukout ceremony in Sengalene village, Casamance region, Senegal. August 22, 2026.
