Pieter Hugo - The Hyena & Other Men - 2007-2007

The Hyena and Other Men is a famous photography book by South African Pieter Hugo, published in 2007 by Prestel, the art publishers.

This roughly 80-page volume gathers a series of 35 striking color photographs. They explore the lives of the Gadawan Kura (the “hyena handlers” in Hausa), a group of itinerant performers in Nigeria.

The protagonists: men who travel the outskirts of major Nigerian cities, accompanied by spotted hyenas, baboons, and rock pythons. They earn their living by street performances and selling traditional remedies. The genesis: Pieter Hugo encountered these men through a photo taken with a mobile phone, which led him to join them in Nigeria to document their daily lives. The theme: the book sheds light on the co-dependent relationship, blending domination and affection, between the handlers and their animals. His posed, calm portraits capture a raw tension at the boundary between the wild world and domestication, tradition and modernity.

The work includes an essay by Nigerian journalist Adetokunbo Abiola, who deconstructs the urban myths surrounding these men and details the history and practices of this marginalized community.

Today, the original 2007 edition (stapled under a dust jacket) has become a highly sought-after collectible for art and photography enthusiasts.