Qamile Stema one of the last "Sworn Virgins" of Albania, smoking and sitting at her house entrance with some of the village men
Qamile Stema is a Burrnesha, one of the last "Sworn Virgins" of Albania. The strongly atavistic and patriarchal Albanian rural world still pays attention to the ancient laws of the "Kanun", an ancestral code which rules from the feared Blood Feuds to the possibility of pushing a girl in whose family there are no males left, the young Qamile, to swear a vow of chastity which to the eyes of the society, will transform her in a man for the rest of her life. Since then, she has always dressed, worked and lived as one more man in the community and become the head of her family. Qamile has kept her female given name, but has always dressed like a man and spent her live in the company of men. Barganesh, Albania
Size: 4535px × 3023px
Photo credit: © Luis Dafos / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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