The Japan Affair

Stunning photographs of a desert-dwelling people of West Africa, with archive historical maps and anthropological essays.

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Stretching across the Sahara, from Mali to Libya, the Tuareg inhabit one of the most inhospitable environments on earth. This ancient culture that once controlled the lucrative caravan routes through North Africa is now dispersed across several countries, but their common bonds of language, music and art transcend national borders. In a series of visits to the region, Henrietta Butler has beautifully documented the lives of these desert nomads. Her remarkable photographs are joined by historical maps and illustrations from the first European explorers to visit the Sahara, along with the art and poetry of the Tuareg themselves.Henrietta Butler was the arts photographer for the "Guardian "from 1992 to 1997 and 1999 to 2001. Since 1998 she has also produced feature stories, notably for the "Independent on Saturday "and the "Sunday Times "magazines, and portraits for "Le Monde."