Nigeriaan staat met een hyena aan de ketting, de laatste ligt op de grond. In de achtergrond is een bakstenen muurtje zichtbaar.

Pieter Hugo, 2005

Mallam Mantari Lamal with Mainasara, Nigeria, 2005

Created by Pieter Hugo in 2005. The artwork is a digital c-print and displayed at 152.4 x 152.4 cm.

The young man in the image, Mallam Mantari Lamal, is part of a group of traveling troubadours in Nigeria known as the 'Hyena men'. In addition to taming and performing with hyenas, they sell traditional medicines as they tour the country. The heavy chain and sturdy muzzle covering the hyena's mouth reveal the strength of the predator at the end of the leash. However, Mallam strikes a confident pose as he stands next to the calmly reclining hyena.

Pieter Hugo’s photographs are a blend of documentary and portrait photography. They not only portray the people he encounters, but also introduce their culture, lifestyle and environment. Through this series, Hugo highlights the paradoxical relationship between the men and their animals: both caring and cruel.

(The portrait of Mallam Mantari Lamal with the hyena, Mainasara, is part of Pieter Hugo’s larger series The Hyena & Other Men, a project for which he was awarded the Foam KLM Paul Huf Award in 2008.)

© Pieter Hugo, courtesy of the Foam Collection

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Mallam Mantari Lamal with Mainasara, Nigeria, 2005