This is Yusufi, a Fulani man in the small village of Bele Kwara. In this photo, Yusufi holds his daughter on his lap. Notice the scars on Yusufi's forehead? Several photos in this Niger photography gallery show the traditional facial scarring. As you can see here, the scarring is not just for women - it is also considered beautiful on men!

The scarring is done with a razor blade, and charcoal powder mixed with cream is rubbed into the fresh wound to create the darkened effect.

She also has had her lower lip died black. This is done by piercing the lip with a needle in multiple locations, and then rubbing into the dried wounds the ground seeds of a certain tree to blacken it.

Bele Kwara, Niger, West Africa

Ref: 2007_4248 (Sepia)

Location: Bele Kwara, Niger

Photographer: Irene Abdou