Heavy loads in Africa

The sight of people balancing loads on their heads is such a familiar image in many African cultures that one quickly becomes accustomed to it. These images are from Cameroon, Sao Tome and Principe, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Tanzania, and Mozambique. People of all ages carry goods in sometimes astonishing containers, in bowls, or loosely on their heads. Unlike in Europe, where manual labor seems to be something to be avoided, preferably delegated to a subordinate or vehicle, here, even heavy loads are carried with unassuming dignity and pride, even amidst motorized traffic. From water-filled aluminum bowls to wooden crates: seedlings, firewood, gasoline cans, hot meals, cassava, and even tightly packed sacks of fresh cocoa beans, which often weigh 60 kilograms, are brought to their destination.