Anush Babajanyan was walking the streets of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, when she came across an unusual sight: dozens of twin children sitting near the Grande Mosque of Koumassi, a suburb in the Ivory Coast capital. “It looked strange,” said the Armenian freelance photographer, whose interest was immediately piqued.
In parts of West Africa, twins are believed to hold spiritual powers. “Many people will seek blessing from them,” Babajanyan said. “So, their mothers, often from poor [households] bring them out, usually around mosques, for alms and donations. They know that people who come out of the mosque, or other passersby, will support them.”
Babajanyan wanted to bring to light “this curious and rather sad reality,” spending several days with the twins to shoot these portraits.
Together, mothers and twins spend many hours of a day sitting and playing in the same spot (Anush Babajanyan)
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