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Ivory Coast View gallery (20 photos)

Snake Girls sent on 23 Gennaio 2026 (10:33) by Roberto Pazzi. 14 comments, 343 views.

at 22mm, 1/30 f/4.0, ISO 3200, hand held.

The "snake girls", acrobatic dancers from the Guéré ethnic group (Ivory Coast). HUMANKIND, my premium, limited-edition, museum-quality standard book featuring over 200 large-format photos. Available here: https://robertopazziphoto.com The Guéré people are an ethnic group residing in the western part of Ivory Coast. The Guéré practise the age old dance of the Snake Girls, where young girls, supposedly while in a trance, perform contortionist moves and are even thrown around by the spiritual leader known as Sambo, a male adult performer. Through this dance, the participants commune with nature and animals considered sacred, in this case snakes. These girls, chosen from a young age for their gift, undergo training with the Sambo to serve the community as guides. The dance is described as physically demanding and spiritually meaningful. The girls' movements are often portrayed as serpentine, with extreme flexibility and sudden shifts in posture that reinforce the idea of trance rather than ordinary choreography. Drumming and repeated rhythms are frequently mentioned as creating a trance like atmosphere and marking transitions in the performance. The Sambo is presented as the figure who directs the ritual and mediates between the girls, the community, and the sacred animal presence symbolized by the snake. Accounts also stress early selection and long training, shaping the girls into ritual specialists valued for helping connect people with the natural and spiritual world. This dance originates from the Dan people in neighbouring Liberia. Website: https://robertopazziphoto.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/roberto_pazzi_photo

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Giuseppe Guadagno

sent on 23 Gennaio 2026 (11:04) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

Beautiful and of great interest this photo and the whole gallery, as well as your captions. Very good.

Roberto Pazzi

sent on 23 Gennaio 2026 (11:05) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

Thanks Giuseppe!

Jerry Vacchieri

sent on 23 Gennaio 2026 (12:43) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

beautiful the shot interesting the caption... :-) :-) :-)

Nikcola

sent on 23 Gennaio 2026 (13:06) | This comment has been translated

Beautiful shot, congratulations

SamuSaleFi

sent on 23 Gennaio 2026 (14:48) | This comment has been translated

Beautiful shot, congratulations

Aldo Viola

sent on 23 Gennaio 2026 (15:03) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

Excellent and original!

Roberto Pazzi

sent on 23 Gennaio 2026 (16:40) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

Thanks Jerry!

Roberto Pazzi

sent on 23 Gennaio 2026 (16:40) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

Thanks Nikcola!

Roberto Pazzi

sent on 23 Gennaio 2026 (16:40) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

Thanks SamuSaleFi!

Roberto Pazzi

sent on 23 Gennaio 2026 (16:41) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

Thanks Aldo!

Marco434

sent on 24 Gennaio 2026 (8:17) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

Your shots are always extraordinary and unique.... Congratulations

Giancarlo Vetrone

sent on 24 Gennaio 2026 (9:18) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

Very well cared for and great atmosphere shot :-)

Roberto Pazzi

sent on 24 Gennaio 2026 (9:21) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

Thanks Marco!

Roberto Pazzi

sent on 24 Gennaio 2026 (9:21) | This comment has been automatically translated (show/hide original)

Thanks Giancarlo!

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