Many Burmese women paint their faces with a paste they make from the bark of the thanaka tree, which acts as both a sunscreen and skin conditioner. Artfully applied in different patterns, the thanaka creates a sense of poise and antiquity. At this AIDS clinic run by the Dutch branch of Médecins Sans Frontières in Hlaing Thayar, a township that is less than an hour's drive outside Yangon, the serene thanaka contrasted sharply with the bird-thin limbs and necks of the patients, many of whom were at the latest stages of the disease. |
