The idea that one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure rings true for the tribes of the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, which use trash like broken watches and bottlecaps to create beautiful fashionable headdresses and wigs.
The Omo valley is home to numerous tribes, but the ones that French photographer Eric Lafforgue spent the most time with were the Bana, Dassanech and Mursi. With modern civilization slowly creeping into the Omo valley, the locals have gradually been gaining access to new additions to their outfits, like football jerseys, hair clips and colorful wires.
Unfortunately, the advance of Western technology also has considerable drawbacks. With the completion of a hydroelectric dam downriver, many tribes will lose their ancestral lands and will be forced to resettle in modern settlements, where they may lose their beautiful traditions forever.
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