ANUSH BABAJANYAN, ARMENIA
CÔTE D’IVOIRE: CREATING HOPE TOGETHER
In West Africa, such as here in Abidjan, the economic and cultural hub of Côte d’Ivoire, people believe that twins have mystical powers. That’s why their mothers bring them to the vicinity of the big mosque in Koumassi, a district of Abidjan, to offer the faithful a chance to get additional blessings from their twins – for a little money, of course.

© Anush Babajanyan, Armenia (VII Agency)
Photographer Anush Babajanyan, born in 1983 in Armenia, coincidentally found out about this kind of offering that combines superstition, poverty and a peculiar form of child labor. She saw dozens of twins in the streets, dressed up and posing for hours.
A cute, but also sad encounter, according to the photographer who works for the agency VII and whose work was published, for example, in the New York Times, the Washington Post and National Geographic. Babajanyan’s main topic: The peace process between Turkey and her home country of Armenia, which she wants to support, for example, through a project involving young photographers from both countries.
Curriculum Vitae: Anush Babajanyan (VII Agency)

© Anush Babajanyan