This woman is wearing her traditional “warambo” for a special occasion. Other photos depict the everyday dress worn in Newjeswang or Farafeni, a town 60 miles upriver. Shorts and pants are never worn by the women. This is a Muslim community and women are expected to dress in a respectful manner. Inside their own compound they may dress in a casual skirt and top. However, when leaving their home to go to the market or visit a friend, they will dress up for the occasion. Going to the market is a daily occurrence, none of the people that Chris knows have electricity in their homes and fresh food must be bought on a daily basis.

Education in Newjeswang is mainly for the boys. However, more and more parents are beginning to parents send their daughters to school. In the past, they were not sent to school, only the sons were considered to need schooling. In this picture, several sisters have come for a spelling lesson from Chris. Note that their brothers are outside looking in, curious to see what they are doing. These little girls come over on a regular basis for their lessons. Education is the key to opening up the lives of the Manding women who lead a traditional life in the home. Very few wives have jobs outside of their homes. Those that do, work in the markets, or shops. If they are educated, they may be employed as teachers.

The Manding are known for their oral historians, the griot.