Commons:Wiki Loves Africa 2017/photo essay/traditional palm oil processing in rural Guinea

Traditional palm oil processing in rural Guinea by uset:Uzabiaga

It was the hottest hour of a hot day when we took advantage of the shade in a gallery forest. We heard the songs of a group of women paced by a deaf sound. They were in the tedious process of making palm oil. Far away from large scale industrial production and its controversial environmental consequences, these women were traditionally processing wild palm fruits to produce "red oil" one of the most popular cooking ingredient in West-Africa. The smoke from the wood fires combined with the heat and humidity from the boiling pots defeated the purpose of our cooling break, but it was a rare privilege to witness the combination of strength and elegance of these women at work.

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  Let me tell you the story of women at work in a traditional "red oil" processing facility in rural Guinea.

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  It all begins with a heavy bag of palm fruits...
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  ...coming from wild neighboring trees and ready to be processed.
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  First the fruits need to be boiled...
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  ...boiled for a long time,
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  ... before the real fun begins.
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  The fruits are then crushed...
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  ... and crushed again
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  and again...
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  and... Hey, you ! Would you come and help me ?
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  Nevermind, I will do it with my friend...
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  and we will do it again,
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  ...till we get that thick red oil
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  ...without compromising our elegance.

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  From generations to generations of hardworking women in rural Guinea.