Létou

(Braiding Hair)

13 x 9½” Lithograph Print on acid free paper

 Signed & Numbered Limited Edition of 200

 ©1996 Djibril N’Doye

The word in Wolof for braiding hair is “létou”. These two women take turns braiding each other’s hair in preparation for attending a festive event such as a baptism. They are friends and do not charge each other for their work. It is common to see friends working so skillfully together especially to prepare for a party, or to prepare for traveling. (One university-published dictionary of Wolof has twenty-three different verb entries for variations of ‘braiding’.)