This photo reminded me of a few somewhat related experiences:

I was at a global conference in Brazil last year and there was one youth participant who resembled the young men in this photo. He could barely participate because every time he spoke or moved around, people lined up to get a photo with him. The child protection team at one point had to form a barrier around him. This was a global congress on child exploitation and it was the adult participants who were mobbing him for photos to take back home. Disturbing. How to celebrate cultures and traditions in respectful ways without tokenizing them and emphasizing how ‘exotic’ they are.

I used to travel with a Senegalese friend of mine who dressed beautifully, and she got stopped numerous times on the street and in airports in Asia, Latin America and the US so people could stand next to her for a photo. She would graciously agree and then mutter as they walked away “what, haven’t you ever seen an African before?”

Last year I went out with some Rwandan youth to film in their community. I was not taking photos or filming but just accompanying the group. It was startling and awkward when a man came running out of his house with his camera, talking about me in a language I didn’t understand, gesturing and laughing, and snapping a few photo without asking. I take less and less random photos of people I don’t know these days.