This flooded moonscape is the Taggui-da-n'Tessoum saltworks in Niger ... Lye stagnates in every hole, which yields the valuable salt through evaporation. The European who visits the place for the first time, however, cannot help but notice the pestilential stench of the greenish waters standing in the sun, and he will also notice that certain insects seem to adapt to the salt content. Be that as it may, the workers employed in this industry have legs covered with ulcers caused by the brine in which they wade up to their knees. There are different qualities of salt, and it comes in several forms, from lumps to patties to ingots. Chemically, it is rarely very pure. As a vital substance for humans and animals, salt remains one of the products that justify the last caravans. It serves as highly valued barter money. – Niger – 1966
