Invisible work

Invisible work and fragmented rhythms in the heart of Zanzibar's markets

In the markets of Zanzibar , the notion of a schedule disappears. People work from dawn, stopping in the heat, and starting again with the tide. Far from formalized models, informal work imposes its own rules: no office, no official breaks, just downtime spent on the ground.

This photograph, selected by 1X.com , captures this discreet daily life with a rare density: the relaxed postures do not indicate leisure, but an expectation. The decor is not spectacular. It is banal, worn, functional. Each object—basin, bag, item of clothing—becomes a socioeconomic indicator .

Suspension of time

The image shows the suspended time of work. Rest is not chosen , it is imposed by the wait for the customer, the cargo, the daylight. It is not the exception, it is the norm.

Here, documentary photography reveals another truth of labor: that of invisible trades, unregulated rhythms, semi-public spaces where the human becomes structure , just as much as the concrete or the colored bucket.