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Uwe Ommer - 1000 Families

Photographer Uwe Ommer shares with us his four-year project, a "Family Album of Planet Earth." Overwhelming in its magnitude, this project is truly extraordinary. Stopping in over 150 countries in all corners of the world, Ommer carefully selected the families which best reflected each society's traditions and social conditions. Many of the portraits have appeared in exhibitions and magazines during the course of the project; now that the work is finished, TASCHEN brings it all to you in one volume. Ommer chose to photograph each family in the same way, against a white background and with identical lighting. All of the traditional elements of a documentary photograph are removed, leaving only the people themselves. The result is astonishing.

312 - Besseta, Niger, 20 July 1997

Ahmed is a Touareg herdsman and despite the large number of cattle grazing around his tent, he has very few head himself. The camels and cows belong mainly to rich Haussa traders. The children don't go to school. These truly nomadic families are constantly on the move, as dictated by the need for grazing lands and watering holes. We were invited under their tent for a refreshing drink of camel milk.

479 - Marsabit, Kenya, 24 November 1997

When we asked Lesipia how old he was, he first said 18, then changed his mind and announced he was 28. Lesipia doesn't know what year it is and he doesn't care either! What he wants is never to leave the region of Marsabit, where he was born, and ... to get rich! He is a livestock breeder and sells his cattle in town. The day we met him, walking along the road, he was on his way back home, with still 40 km to go. Ha accepted our invitation to take him to his settlement and explained us that he had sold a cow and bought quite a few pieces of cloth for his mother, his wife and himself. He was particularly proud of his new pink (and fashionable) loincloth.

482 - Awash, Ethiopia, 4 December 1997

Despite his status as a livestock breeder, Gababou, his two wives and three children live mainly on curdled milk. Meat is a rarity, and an animal is only slaughtered for special occasions, like the circumcision ceremony, for example.

386 - Near Opuwo, Namibia, 12 September 1997

The Himba (a tribe closely related to the Herero), live in northern Namibia, around Opuwo. They live in an extremely traditional way and reject 'modern civilization' outright (and with no regrets). They pulverize a particular stone and cover themselves all over with the powder. This protects them from both sun and mosquitoes and gives them this red colour. They only rear cattle and grow no crops. The head of this Himba family didn't say another word to me once I'd foolishly told him that I didn't own any livestock, not even a chicken ... With four wives and 59 head of cattle, Viongera is the richest man in the compound. Himba means 'to beg', and that is their speciality ...

313 - Besseta, Niger, 20 July 1997

Souleyman is a nomadic herdsman who moves about with his family and livestock from one watering hole to the next.

184 - Tambacounda, Senegal, 19 April 1997

Two wives, ten children, eight horses, two taxis (horse-drawn carts), this is the legacy of Elhadje, the local 'taxi driver' ... During the rainy season he leaves his taxi in the garage and goes to work his fields, where he grows cassava, maize and yams to feed his 'small' family ...

483 - Awash, Ethiopia, 4 December 1997

Like all Afar men, Hassan never leaves home without his Kalashnikov, even if he grumbles about the high price of ammunition - three bir a bullet [ 50 cents]. Their main occupation is organizing raids on the Oromo (the neighbouring tribe) to 'look for' cattle ... This same operation is then repeated the following week by the Oromo, and so on and so forth ...

190 - Pallen Wolof, Gambia, 27 April 1997

Oustase teaches the Koran in the village. He's hoping lots of schools will be built in Gambia so that as many children as possible will discover Islam. His two wives take care of the children and the daily routines.

160 - Godofuma, Ivory Coast, 4 April 1997

With a mere glance, Yakie can predict the future. An animist priest and healer like his father, his eldest son will carry on the tradition, after a twelve-year apprenticeship. He claims to have the supreme power of getting rain to fall if there's a drought.

322 - Mani, Chad, 26 July 1997

Alhadji Koubou Sale is the sultan's representative in his village, which means he has the title of 'notable'. He is also a farmer and, at the age of 77, still keeps an eye on his land, growing groundnuts, maize and rice. For him, there's no such thing as a family without children - and he's got 18 ...

214 - Tortiya, Ivory Coast, 10 May 1997

Adamo is a diamond digger in the heart of the Ivory Coast's 'wild west'. He digs and sifts the earth 12 hours a day, hoping to find 'the big one' which will enable him to send his children to school. As he waits for that auspicious day, his two wives feed the family with home-grown vegetables.

471 - Isiolo, Kenya, 22 November 1997

While her husband looks after the cattle, housewife Fatuma takes care of their seven children.

158 - Godofuma, Ivory Coast, 4 April 1997

After an initiatory period in the sacred wood, this young man from Godofuma was a 'designated' tom-tom player. He performs at every village ceremony. But music alone doesn't enable him to feed his family, so he grows rice, cassava, potatoes and cotton. His dream: 'To play my drums at great events.'

213 - Tortiya, Ivory Coast, 10 May 1997

'The family is God's happiness, we must thank Him.' Ibrahim grows rice and maize, with the help of his two wives and his sons. None of his children go to school. They are being taught how to farm, and take part in working the fields. Ibrahim's philosophy is 'Everyone is eating their fill, so everything is all right.'

433 - Kariba, Zimbabwe, 26 octobre 1997

Johan used to be a sailor on a fishing boat, but he has switched to traditional medicine. His wife helps him to collect plants and prepare remedies against 'all the evils on earth.'