Spice Girls

Portrait of Maria

You walk into a dark space lit only by an open door at the back of the premises and you are immediately assaulted by the reek of pepper. Within seconds you are coughing and it is hard to breathe. As you head towards the light a breeze blows around the dust stirred up by the sifted pepper. Another coughing fit before you rush outside.

These women work in this environment for six days a week, 9 - 5, protected only by a strip of cloth wrapped around their mouths and noses. They spend their days sifting and sorting the various grades of black pepper in an unventilated environment. It is incredible that there is not even a fan on the premises.

I speak to Maria, a practicing catholic, and she is happy to pose for a few photograph for our small group. For the next few minutes the lives of the spice girls in this particular warehouse are interrupted with smiles and laughter as we try to capture their beautiful spirit through our photos.