The hen is one of the domestic animals that cohabit with the Bench. In addition to blending in perfectly with the murals painted by the women, the hen is useful: it keeps poisonous snakes and scorpions away from the interior of the houses. Hans Silvester began documenting the Bench way of life in 2008 and today it is disappearing. Asphalt covers the paths that once separated and isolated the Bench from the rest of the world. Now, cinder blocks replace the earthen walls, and metal sheeting covers the roofs that were once made of grass and plants.

It is in Ethiopia, 600 km south of the capital that Hans Silvester met the Bench, an ethnic group of farmers. The discovery of this people was almost by chance. Hans Silvester was on his way to the Omo Valley when he came across some painted houses. Curious and above all admiring, he put on his explorer's hat, and quickly realized that few people were interested in this culture. He describes the Bench people as "modest": no one owns more than 6 sheep. But the harmony in which they live touched the photographer's heart. It must be said that the animals are totally integrated in the daily life and create a very particular atmosphere. Animals and people live in symbiosis, in complete freedom. 

Retour De Voyage has selected this remarkable photograph by Hans Silvester which reveals the singular pictorial art of the Bench.