In this photo, at the weekly Friday market in the town of Torodi, Niger, this calabash-maker has removed the insides from the calabash gourd (a large, squash-like vegetable) and is carving decorative designs on the shell. After completing the carving, he will soak the inside of the calabash in water two times for one day each time to remove the bitter taste. The completed calabash will sell for around 300 cfa (about $0.63) and will be used to store food, milk, water, or other items. It takes him about four hours to carve one calabash. An uncarved calabash would cost 100 cfa ($0.21).

Ref: 2007_4107