Eighty million years ago, Madagascar split off from Africa. Separated from the mainland, the sturdy creatures that reached Madagascar’s shores intact took off on a bizarre evolutionary journey. Art documents Madagascar’s most famous inhabitants: it’s a who’s who of the weird and wonderful, including dancing sifakas, rainbow-colored chameleons, a forest of upside-down trees, and a spiny desert. Explore this episode »
East Africa is a vast stage on which the circular, never-ending journey known as the Great Migration has played out for millions of years. After going eye to eye with thousands of wildebeest and zebra, Art enlists an old friend and bush pilot to help him capture aerial patterns of migrating herds and flocks of flamingos. On the ground, he pursues giraffe on horseback and tracks rhino on foot. Explore this episode »
Ethiopia is like no other place in Africa. Some of the isolated animist tribes who have lived there for centuries are still unaware that they reside in a country called Ethiopia. In this episode, Art ventures into the Omo Valley, Ethiopia’s nearly inaccessible and richest tribal zone. After enduring muddy, impassable roads and swollen rivers, he makes his way to the Hamer, Karo and remote Surma tribes. He documents the tribes’ unique body painting, elaborate adornments and timeless ceremonies. Explore this episode »
It is a fabled land of sand, salt and nomads. But Mali is more than the Sahara; it is a place where the Niger River flows past some of Africa’s unique tribal and architectural wonders. In episode three, Art Wolfe follows the river road to the camouflaged villages of the cliff-dwelling Dogon people; floats downriver to Djenne’s fantastic mud mosque; heads into the desert with nomadic Tuaregs; and finally travels on to Timbuktu where he meets up with a camel caravan. Explore this episode »
West Africa is the birthplace of Voodoo; in Togo and Benin ancestors commingle with the living. Whether it’s vulture heads for sale at a fetish market or sacred bloodstained altars, Voodoo is always front and center. In episode six, Art Wolfe visits villages known for their vibrant inhabitants and intense ritual and discovers frenzied trances, powerful masked dances and an extraordinary fire-eating ceremony – all part of everyday life. Explore this episode »
