As drought keeps men on the road, Mauritania's pastoralist women take charge

Woman sitting on a donkey cart in Hadad, Gorgol region, Mauritania, March 30, 2018. [Zoe Tabary, Reuters]

Every year when the pastoralist men in Fatima Demba’s Mauritanian village return from their months-long journey to find pastures and water, the women erupt in wild celebrations.

“We draw henna tattoos on our bodies, we braid our hair, we wear our nicest clothes,” she said, re-adjusting her bright yellow and blue robe.