The Time We Drove Around Mozambique for 2 Weeks With Just A Yellowman CD

Historically, spontaneity has defined the ethos behind The FADER's style stories. For 2008's Africa Issue, The FADER's Style Editor-At-Large Mobolaji Dawodu and photographer Andrew Dosunmu drove through Lesotho, Mozambique, and South Africa for two weeks, scouting models on the fly, accidentally crashing Maputo Fashion Week, and listening only to Yellowman two weeks straight. The resulting spread—"Fine Print"—is vibrant and alive and truly unforgettable.

MOBOLAJI DAWODU: We didn't really have a concept beyond it fitting into the Africa issue. It was shot over the course of two weeks in Lesotho, Mozambique and South Africa, we did it as a road trip. It was the first time I drove on the right side of the road. We drove from Johannesburg to Maputo, Mozambique and then from Maputo, Mozambique back to Johannesburg and then we went to Maseru, Lesotho. We casted as we went along, FADER-style: street casting, random folks from all over. When we went to Mozambique we just kind of stumbled upon Maputo Fashion Week and then we got four models from there. It was very interesting to say the least.

The very first day, I drove to Mozambique and we went out to find some people and our car got broken into. They smashed the back window and they took all of my CDs. The only CD remaining was the one in the player, a Yellowman CD. I'll never forget that trip because driving all over Africa we only listened to one CD the whole time, Yellowman. For two weeks! And I was supposed to rent a Ford but they ran out of a cars so they gave me a Mercedes. It was kind of lovely, very memorable.