Woman preparing igname, Tano Sakassou village, Ivory Coast

"In the traditional economy, husbands and wives were bound together by interlocking activities that resulted in a common endeavor." "Basic food production is still similarly shared today, with wives having an obligation to cultivate their own fields and to cook regular meals for their husbands. Men have a parallel obligation to clear the fields and provide wives with reasonable amounts of yams and meat. (A man without a wife must attach himself to a household where a woman will cook for him -men do not cook for themselves.)" [Vogel S., 1997:Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. Tien Wah Press]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for National Geographic and traveled to Africa from January 19, 1972 to mid April 1972.