SUFISM AGAINST THE GRAIN

The extraordinary practices that paint Sufi rituals so coloful are frowned upon in the very societies that they are built into.

The most populous city in Sudan, Ommdurman, the Friday ritual is well known and synonymous with the identity of the city. It is in a swirl of chanting and twirling men that entice the passersby to participate that they find their own connection to god, although the ritual is clearly - and vocally - despised and opposed by those following more tame versions of Islam.

In the dusty desert, the warm breeze and heavy stomping lift grains of sand off the ground, tiny particles that may be invisible to the eye but end up being land, home, structure, and notably present when they hit the eyes.