Traces

When we stopped to visit this tribe in the Southern Zone of the Omo River region in Ethiopia everyone wanted me to take their pictures so they could be paid.  I did of course - take as many as i could but at one point all the people formed a circle around this boy and pushed him forward to have his picture taken.  He was crying and I felt so badly for him but wasn't sure what the problem was.  Was he shy, embarrassed, in pain, didn't want me to take the picture?  What?  I tried to talk to him but of course he didn't understand.  I decided the best thing I could do was quickly take his picture and let him go.  Thinking back on it I suspect he was sick with malaria - so common in East Africa.  It was such a striking incident I find myself thinking of it often.  He's become an iconic symbol for me and I've used the image in a number of my pieces to reflect the massive changes impacting the lifestyles of these peoples.  I called the painting Traces symbolizing the fast disappearing cultures of tribal Ethiopia and of Africa in general.