Changing to stay

In 2023, around Djanet in the Algerian Sahara, I followed Chir and L’Aïd, two men from Tuareg families. To earn a living, they turned to tourism: Chir became a driver, L’Aïd a cook. Four-wheel-drive vehicles and mobile phones are part of travel between town and desert, while industrial activity also leaves its mark on the landscape.

As everyday life changes, Sebiba remains an anchor for the community. Each year, this ritual brings together the people of Zellouaz and El Mihan. Elders pass on the ritual gestures, women give voice to the songs, and young dancers such as Lekhder wear the Takumbut, a symbolic helmet that earns them the community’s respect and inspires younger generations. These encounters echo a personal question: how can we change the way we live without losing what matters to us?

View photographs

A man in blue, seen from behind, raises his arm on a dune, with a 4×4 and dark hills ahead.

Inside a 4×4, the passenger turns around with one hand raised; the driver and desert road remain visible.

An elevated view of houses, a road and a palm grove stretching between rocky hills.

A small white vehicle stands out in a vast expanse of sand bordered by rocky mountains.

A lone tree stands in the sand beneath a grey sky.

A dark rocky peak rises behind a smooth expanse of sand beneath a pale sky.

Two round stone buildings with thatched roofs, a solar panel and a seated person in a rocky landscape.

A driver with ochre cloth wrapped around his face holds the steering wheel, with desert sand visible through the windows.

A man in blue leans over an engine beneath a raised bonnet, holding a clear bottle.

Three men prepare a meal at the foot of a rock wall; in the foreground, one of them grates a carrot.

Kneeling beside the embers, a man presses his hand onto a round of dough, lit by a headlamp.

A smiling man offers a glass while sitting on a mat beside teapots set on the sand.

A man in blue holds a lit lamp near his chest in the darkness.

A man dressed in orange looks at his phone with his legs folded up on a vehicle seat.

The sun sits on the horizon above a vast stretch of undulating dunes.

Shelters made of fabric and branches stand at the foot of large rock formations.

A woman in floral clothing holds a hand to her mouth while sitting beside a person dressed in blue.

A close portrait of a woman whose face is framed by a dark veil and a purple scarf.

A seated young man wears a tall red headdress decorated with metal triangles and crossed bands of fabric over his chest. — Lekhder, one of the dancers from Zellouaz chosen to wear the takumbut.

A close-up of hands adjusting bands of red and white fabric around a waist.

Two men adjust a young dancer’s clothing, seen from a low angle against a blue sky.

A portrait of a child wearing a dark turban and a white veil covering the lower face.

A portrait of a man whose face is framed by a large white turban. — Chir, a tour guide, on the day of the Sebiba.

Two seated children in dark blue and white hold orange scarves and sword-shaped objects.

A woman holds a drum in front of her face, green fabric draped over her arm, with other players behind her. — The women sing and beat drums called gangas to set the dancers’ rhythm.

An eye appears through an opening in a dark veil beneath a tall red headdress decorated with metal and blue threads. — A dancer wearing the takumbut has torn his alechou veil for better visibility.

A dancer in dark clothing holds a sword upright beside his face; behind him, a woman carries a drum.

A line of dancers advances across the sand with several arms and swords raised, with mountains behind.

Dancers stir up dust; in the foreground, one extends a red scarf and holds a sword pointing towards the ground. — Sebiba dancers move to the rhythm of the women’s singing.

A child holds a sword and raises a red scarf in front of a row of dancers in the dust.

Dancers standing in a line spread large dark garments with their arms outstretched beneath a blue sky. — The dancers spread out their costumes during the tekamsin phase.

A row of dancers stands shoulder to shoulder with blades crossed in front of their bodies.

A dancer wearing sunglasses raises a red scarf in front of women carrying drums.

Dancers and children move together in low sunlight in front of a seated crowd.

A group of dancers crosses the sand, backlit by the sun, in front of spectators and a row of palm trees. — The sun sets, and the dancers make their final passages in front of the crowd.

Drum players are surrounded by women and children beneath the glow of phone lights at night. — The residents of ksar Zellouaz celebrate their victory.

After nightfall, a crowd surrounds dancers with many lit phones held aloft. — The residents of ksar Zellouaz celebrate their victory.

The moon, surrounded by a halo, shines above a silhouetted rock formation and rippled sand.

A close detail of a cracked black surface marked by circles and streaks of ochre sand.

Deformed barrels emerge from the sand beneath a blue sky with the moon shining above.

A person stands beside a small cabin above a metal hopper and piles of gravel.