Snake Girls

• Photographer
  Roberto Pazzi
• Technical Info
  1/40, ISO 400, f/3.2, Full Frame
• Photo Date
  10/01/2024

The "snake girls" are acrobatic dancers from the Guéré people, an ethnic group residing in the western part of Ivory Coast. The Guéré practise the age-old dance of the 'Snake Girls', where young girls, supposedly while in a trance, perform contortionist moves and are even thrown around by male adult performers. This dance originates from the Dan people in neighbouring Liberia.

Born in Italy and educated as an engineer, Roberto Pazzi is a documentary and cultural photographer whose work explores people, communities, and the relationship between identity, culture, and place. His work has been published by renowned publications around the world, and he is also the author of HUMANKIND, a premium limited-edition volume presenting a curated selection of his work in large format. Based in Spain, Roberto collaborates with Nomad Photo Expeditions, where he leads immersive photographic journeys to some of the world’s most remote and culturally vibrant regions.