Niqabs and Buibuis Mono
Swahili spectators at a traditional stick fight in Shela, a small Muslim fishing village in Kenya's Lamu Archipelago near the border with Somalia.
The traditional niqab or viel and long black buibui garment are worn by young unmarried Swahili women at festivals and public events - signifiers of modesty and identity rooted in an ancient Swahili-Arab heritage extending to Oman, Persia and India.
Niqabs and Buibuis Mono
Swahili spectators at a traditional stick fight in Shela, a small Muslim fishing village in Kenya's Lamu Archipelago near the border with Somalia.
The traditional niqab or viel and long black buibui garment are worn by young unmarried Swahili women at festivals and public events - signifiers of modesty and identity rooted in an ancient Swahili-Arab heritage extending to Oman, Persia and India.