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spotted the photographs of hans silvester on pia jane bijkerek's blog and was mesmerised by them. i love the daring and imaginative ensembles of the Surma and Mursi tribes, yet i also wonder how much of this is really natural and how much is styled (and is something that started off as a sincere and authentic expression fast becoming just another tourist curio?). but my cynicism about the influence of the west on africa aside, i really love seeing something so riveting and inspiring coming from my continent, surpassing a lot of fashion seen on the catwalks.






there are a lot more images here.

• Pictures by Hans Silvester (Rapho/Camera Press) from the book Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa by Hans Silvester, published by Thames and Hudson, £19.95.