ENTRY DESCRIPTION
Joal, Senegal. I met these boys, all members of the same family, during their seclusion period following their circumcision. I was visiting their family and they offered me to see them as welcoming gesture and show me the family pride. Traditionally, women cannot see the circumcised boys during seclusion period. It was a great portrait opportunity for me. Their traditional circumcision gowns, body positions and faces shocked me. Male circumcision is one of the oldest and most widespread surgical procedures in the world performed in pre-pubertal boys, adolescents or adults. In Senegal, male circumcision is considered essential for becoming a full member of society. Because it is a strong cultural practice, traditional male circumcision is usually not an optional procedure to be decided about on an individual basis. Community involvement before, during and after traditional male circumcision is strong. Three phases describe the ritual of male circumcision: preparation leading to the actual procedure, a period of seclusion whilst healing, and reintegration of the initiates into their society. On the other hand, female circumcision is banned in Senegal since 1999. Canon 70D, EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6. Focal Length 18mm, f/5. Exposure 1/1250. ISO 6400.

AUTHOR
Amateur photographer since 2005. Started taking pictures just because my parents bought me a small camera for my birthday, I liked it and decided to learn the basic principles of photography.

I'm a Spanish born scientist/engineer and I work in the UK University since 2006. I do travel frequently to Africa as I do collaborate with a charity, this gives me the opportunity to merge with the locals and get to know their traditions and ways of living. It also makes me appreciate certain social injustice situations that I try to reflect in my photos and share with whoever wants to hear about them.

Big fan of water sports, I also document surf and Kitesurf championships.

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