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The Wodaabe People

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The Wodaabe People

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The Wodaabe People

The nomadic Wodaabe community belong to the Fulani ethnic group, who are distributed across at least ten
North-African countries. Chad is home to many of the Wodaabe. Far from the coast and land-locked, it nestles next
to the great Saharan Desert.

Wodaabe | Gerewol festival, Bossio, Chari-Baguirmi region | Chad, 2016

Cultural Traditions
Women chose a partner during the Gerewol
Once a year the Wodaabe people from across the country all come together for the Gerewol gathering, a celebration of beauty and courtship that has been taking place for hundreds of years. For eight days, young men with brightly painted faces, wearing colourful clothing and jewellery, dance in line, singing and chanting, in the hope of being selected by a lover. A distinctive aspect of the event is the way the men show the whiteness of their eyes and teeth to display their strength and good health.

Wodaabe | Gerewol festival, Bossio, Chari-Baguirmi region | Chad, 2016

Wodaabe | Gerewol festival, Bossio, Chari-Baguirmi region | Chad, 2016

Wodaabe | Gerewol festival, Bossio, Chari-Baguirmi region | Chad, 2016

Wodaabe | Gerewol festival, Bossio, Chari-Baguirmi region | Chad, 2016

Wodaabe | Gerewol festival, Chari-Baguirmi region | Chad, 2016

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The Wodaabe People
