In West Africa, both in urban and rural areas, women are entirely responsible for water for the daily life of the family : drinking, cooking, washing and doing laundry. For millions of women or young girls, water isn’t available in the house or within the compound. They must walk several hundred meters or sometimes a few kilometers, with a container that, once filled, is most often carried on their heads. Despite these heavy burdens, water fountains, drillings, wells and ponds become places of life and socialization, mutual help and joyful exchanges.
In Côte d’Ivoire
The first part of the exhibition comes from fieldwork conducted in the summer of 2024 in Côte d’Ivoire as part of a sociology thesis. Gagnoa, located in central-west Côte d’Ivoire, is experiencing rapid urbanization, marked by the emergence of new neighborhoods. This is the case in the “Sans Lois” (« Lawless") neighborhood, where, with the exception of electricity, residents have no access to other basic services, including water. The photos show a setup with a borehole connected to a tap, providing free water. Water here is also used to produce beverages and sell them. In the village of Demidougou, about ten kilometers from Gagnoa, you have to go to a well to get water.
In Niger
The second part of the exhibition is based on the work of two professional photographers in Niger and France, illustrating the activities carried out by the Tarbiyya Tatali collective, of which AECIN is a member. In Dogondoutchi, in a peripheral neighborhood or the village of Lougou, standpipes are managed by women, and water is not free. Ponds are often used for laundry. Access to water therefore remains a priority in rural areas. Loire-Brittany Water Agency and the Water Authority of the Rennes Basin’ support for water access initiatives in Niger came to an end following the coup d’état in July 2023.
The exhibition’s presentation
The exhibition was created for the Village of Sciences and displayed at the Champs Libres in Rennes from October 4 to 6, 2024. On Friday 4th, nine groups of schoolchildren visited the exhibition, while Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th, were dedicated to the general public.
Interdisciplinary project supported by the Brittany Doctoral College and developed by the Equality Mission of the University of Rennes and the Ille-et-Vilaine Niger Cultural Exchange Association (AECIN).
Photo Descriptions :
In Côte d’Ivoire: Gagnoa Borehole and tap (1-3), water carrying (4), water sale (5), Demidougou Well (6). Photos by Abdul-Aziz Dembélé.
In Niger: Dogondoutchi standpipe (7-9), Lougou standpipe (10-11), laundry at the pond (12). Photos by Abdoul Aziz Soumaïla and Jean-Pierre Estournet.