Nabaas: Traditional Chiefs of Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso, the West African nation whose name means “the land of upright people,” has 12 traditional tribal cultures, including the Mossi, Lobi, Bobo, Gan and Bissa. And each one has its Naabas, its leaders. Jean-Dominique Burton’s luminous black-and white images, each as formal as any state portrait, show these traditional chiefs and kings, and the emperor, in the full glow of their power. Each sits on his throne, addressing the viewer, with no entourage and no distractions. Burton’s travels across one of the poorest countries in the world, from village to village with a compact photo studio, brought him to an audience with timeless power and dignity.