For thousands of years the ancient Dogon people have lived in their harsh, awe-inspiring environment in Mali. In traditional vegetable gardens, womenfolk transform the flowers, fruit and leaves of each plant into a condiment called somè. The Dogon Somè Presidium, set up to protect this tradition, also includes a number of other products such as kamà (the powder of dried sorrel seeds) and pourkamà (the powder of fermented fruits of nerè, a local tree). It involves several villages and the entire production chain - from cultivation, harvesting, and processing through to packaging.

© Paola Viesi

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