Les mains qui travaillent

© Les mains qui travaillent (Eva Van Tongeren, 2024)

Les mains qui travaillent

This small cinematic exchange shows a women’s collective in Agadez, Niger. The camera zooms in on the hands of the working-class women, showing the harsh conditions of their daily lives. While separating peanuts from their shells, the women talk to each other about the men passing by and the filmmaker present. The brief encounter raises the question of how a camera can be used by both the women in front of and behind it to find a way to connect with each other while not sharing a common language.