This project proves that all women on our planet are gorgeous
’The Ethnic Origins of Beauty’ is a non-profit, artistic, ********ary and research project about the ethnic diversity of humanity. In order to reach the hearts of diverse international and multicultural audiences, the ******** of female beauty and charm has been chosen.
The project was started in 2012. However, it is still in its initial implementation s***e, since the project’s collection still lacks a lot of nationalities. So far, the organizers have managed to gather about 90 photo and video portraits of representatives of more than 50 ethnic groups from 15 countries on 4 continents. Each nationality (ethnic group) will be represented by three young women (three photo portraits and three video interviews). Each portrait is accompanied by information on the ethnic group represented.
Natalia Ivanova, the author of the project, is a Russian photographer and photojournalist. She lives in Paris and works as a photo-correspondent for the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS in France. Natalia thinks it is important to implement and get across to people the idea of interethnic equality and tolerance, no matter how much time and effort it might take.
We here at Bright Side are sure — beauty has no nationality. Look at the photos of these gorgeous ladies, and you’ll see it yourself.
The Wolof people are an ethnic group found in Senegal and The Gambia. Numbering approximately 6 million people in total, the Wolof also live in Mali, Europe, and North America.
The Martinicans are the main population of the island of Martinique with a total number of about 500,000 people. The Martinicans also live in France (150,000 people), on the island of Guadeloupe, and the Virgin Islands (USA).
The Kongo people (The Bakongo) are a people of Central Africa. With a population of 10 million, the Bakongo inhabit the lower reaches of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the border regions of Angola, and the People’s Republic of Congo. They also live in Uganda, Gabon, Sao Tome, and Principe. An interesting fact: the Kongos keep matrilineal kinship.
The Ewe people occupy southeastern Ghana and the southern parts of neighboring Togo and Benin. Total population: 4 million people.
The Fula people, or Fulani or Fulbe, are an ethnic group spread over a vast territory in West Africa: from Mauritania, Gambia, Senegal, and Guinea in the West to Cameroon and Sudan in the East. Total population: 23-25 million people.
The Haitians are a people of the Caribbean, the main population of the Republic of Haiti. In total, there are about 7.2 million Haitians living in the world.
’The Ethnic Origins of Beauty’ is a project about the beauty of the ethnic diversity of the world.
The main goal is to show the diversity of the peoples which we don’t see today, focusing mainly on the political map of the world. There are more than 2,000 ethnic groups living in the world, while the number of countries is a little more than 200. This means we don’t notice 90% of ethnocultural diversity surrounding us, sometimes even within our own country.
The Anyi people are an ethnic group in southwest Ghana and southeast Ivory Coast. The total population of Anyi people is about 1,251,339 people. They were the first African people who came into contact with Europeans in the 17th century.
The Cape-Verdeans are a people that make up the main population of Cape Verde. They are the descendants of slaves, mixed with Portuguese settlers. The total number of Cape-Verdeans is about 310,000 people.
The Guadeloupeans are a Caribbean people, the inhabitants of the French island of Guadeloupe. Total number: 300,000 people. Approximately 100,000 Guadeloupeans live in France.
Réunionnais people are a people inhabiting the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean (’overseas department’ of France). Numbering approximately 250,000 people in total, about a quarter of Reunioneses are the descendants of French settlers.
The Bengalis are one of the largest ethnic groups in the world. With a total number of about 250 million people, they are mostly concentrated in Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal in India. Large Bengali communities also reside in Bhutan, Nepal, Singapore, and The United Kingdom.
The Indo-Mauritians are an ethnic community that currently makes up more than 2/3 of the Mauritian population. All Mauritians are descendants of immigrants from India. There are about 800,000 Indo-Mauritians living in the world.
Unlike many other projects that seek to negate the differences between various people and nations, ’The Ethnic Origins of Beauty’ tries to draw attention to the beauty of the fact that there are so many cultures throughout the world. Yes, we are all different, and that’s great.
The Shilha people or Shluh are a Berber ethnic group, numbering about 8 million, that inhabits mainly the Western High Atlas and Anti-Atlas Mountains in Morocco as well as the Souss Valley.
Tunisians are one of the Arab peoples, the main population of the Republic of Tunisia. The total number of Tunisians is about 10 million people.
The Riffians are a Berber ethnic group inhabiting the Rif in northern Morocco. They number about 3 million people and are spread over the whole area of northwest Morocco.
The Kabyle people are a Berber ethnic group native to Kabylia in the north of Algeria with a total number of 6.5 million people. A large group of Kabyles lives in France.
Armenians, numbering around 8 million people, constitute the main population of Armenia.
The Georgians (kartvelebi) are an ethnic group that originated in Georgia where these people constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present in the eastern provinces of Turkey and throughout Iran. The total population is 6 million people.
We tell people about the world’s nationalities through photo and video portraits of young, bright, interesting women who represent these ethnic groups. All the girls participating in the project need to have at least three generations of ancestry from the same ethnic group on both paternal and maternal sides, and they should also be aware of their ethnicity.
The woman is the main carrier and guardian of her people’s culture, ********, and traditions because she is the one who brings up and teaches the basics of life to the child. The woman is the face of the nation, both in the literal and figurative senses.
The Kalmyks are western Mongolian people inhabiting mainly the Republic of Kalmykia. There are about 200,000 Kalmyks living in the world.
The Han people are the world’s largest ethnic group. It has a population of about 1.3 billion, accounting for 19% of the world’s total population. The Han people belong to the largest ethnic group in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore.
The Buryats, numbering approximately 500,000, are the largest indigenous group in Siberia, mainly concentrated in the Buryat Republic, the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug, and the Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug. The Buryatian communities also live outside Russia, mainly in northern Mongolia and northeast China.
The Uyghurs are the indigenous people of East Turkestan (also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China) numbering about 11 million people.
The Altay are a Turkic people living in the Altay Republic. Their total number is about 71,000 people.
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group comprising the majority of the population of Uzbekistan. The Uzbeks are also found as a minority group in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and northern and southern Turkmenistan. The number of Uzbeks in the world is about 29 million people.
Let’s let the public be the judge of how well we do our work. We don’t seek to show the ’pattern’ of an ideal representative. We are looking for true, real-life stories.
The Ossetians, numbering approximately 700,000 people, live mainly in the Caucasus, Russia, and Georgia.
The Bashkirs, with a total number of about 2 million people, are a Turkic people indigenous to Bashkortostan, Southern Ural, and Ural.
Kumyks are Turkic-speaking people, one of the indigenous peoples of Dagestan. Numbering approximately 505,000 people, they are found in the Republic of Dagestan, the Republic of North Ossetia, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, and Chechnya.
The Kazakhs are a Turkic people that constitutes the main population of Kazakhstan but is also found in parts of Uzbekistan, China, Russia, Turkmenistan, and western Mongolia. The total number of Kazakhs in the world is about 14.5 million people.
Chechens, numbering approximately 1.55 million people,are a Caucasian ethnic group living in Chechnya. There are also significant Chechen populations in Dagestan, Ingushetia, and Georgia.
The Circassians are a Northwest Caucasian ethnic group native to Kabardino-Balkaria, the Republic of Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, and Krasnodar Krai. The total population is about 3 million.
The project is underway. We are now accepting applications to participate in it. We are looking for representatives of all nations of the world and have a goal to show all the ethnic groups without exception.
All girls who are interested in participating in the project should meet the following criteria: 18-30 years old, naturally beautiful, belonging to a single ethnic group for at least three generations. The selection of girls takes place in two steps: the selection of participation requests (summaries and photos of applications sent by e-mail), and the selection by the results of a photoshoot and video interview filming.
The Abazins are one of the oldest indigenous peoples of the Caucasus. With the total number of about 45,000, they live in the Russian Federation, mainly in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. An Abazin diaspora exists in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and other Islamic countries.
The Ingush are a Vainakh people of the North Caucasus. They speak the Ingush ******** and use the Cyrillic writing system. There are about 700,000 Ingush people living in the world.
Shughnans, hugni or hununi, are numerically the largest and most widespread of the Pamir peoples living in Tajikistan and northern Afghanistan.
Germans. A great number of Germans live outside of Germany. Germans represent the largest group of immigrants to America, outnumbering the English. The total number of Germans in the world is about 140 million people.
French people are the descendants of the Celtic Gaulish Tribes and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups. The total number of French people is about 63 million.
Lezgins are a Lezgic ethnic group native predominantly in southern Dagestan and northeastern Azerbaijan. With the total number of about 800,000, Lezgins also live in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey.
The project ’The Ethnic Origins of Beauty’ received the acknowledgment of UNESCO and was first officially presented at an exhibition devoted to International Women’s Day in March 2014 at its Parisian headquarters.
The goal of the project is to contribute to the harmonization of interethnic relations by showing the beauty of every people, by accepting the differences of others, and through equal attention to every nation; to contribute to the heri***e of mankind by creating a universal multimedia and interactive collection of ethnic diversity over the period of the beginning of the 21st century.
Portuguese people are an ethnic group indigenous to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian Peninsula. The total number of Portuguese people is about 31.2 million.
Lorrainers are a Germanic people living in the northeast part of France that borders Belgium and Germany. Numbering about 1 million people, they constitute the main population of the Lorraine region of France.
Tatars are the main citizens of Tatarstan, numbering approximately 7 million people. They can also be found in Russia, Bashkortostan, Udmurtia, Mordovia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
Belarusians are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. There are over 9.4 million people who associate themselves with the Belarusian nationality today. Belarusian minority populations also live in countries neighboring Belarus: Ukraine, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, and Latvia.
Russians are one of the largest ethnic groups in the world. The majority of Russians inhabit the Russian Federation, while notable minorities (18 million people in total) exist in the neighboring countries, and about 3 million Russians live in America and Europe. There are about 137 million Russians in the world.
Finns are a Finno-Ugric people native to Finland. With a total number of 6.5 million people, Finnish communities are also present in the USA, Canada, Russia, and Australia.
Girls who are interested in participating in the project ’The Ethnic Origins of Beauty’ can send their requests to the organizers. For more details, visit the project’s official pages:
lesoriginesdelabeaute.com
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Ins***ram: @lesoriginesdelabeaute
