The Guardian recently printed the photograph (below) of young women at the 2014 Reed Dance in Swaziland, a topic we’ve covered before.

It has been nominated as one of the Guardian’s Photographs of the Year, and photographer Marco Longari says “There were between 7,000 and 10,000 ‘maidens’ at this Zulu reed dance – screaming, laughing, chatting, all under the watchful eyes of older women. This was a lucky shot, but I was looking for it. There are a lot of problems for albinos in Africa, so I thought if I could find an albino ‘maiden’ dancing, it would tell a positive story. These girls were lining up to get food in the early morning light, and I raced over. Normally as a photographer you get cross if your subjects pose, because it’s not natural. But this girl put up a face so proud and dignified that it was a gift to me.”

A striking photo, indeed.

Ella