April 27, 2009

#8 Coolest Place - The Wodaabe Gerewol Festival & Cure Salee, Niger

Once a year in September, thousands of nomadic Wodaabe men show up for a great courting festival known as the gerewol. It is part of a centuries old celebration known during the Cure Salee festival, and the Wodaabe men dress up in order to be as attractive as possible to potential mates. The Wodaabe color their faces yellow and their lips black to accentuate the whiteness of their teeth and eyes. This is viewed as more beautiful by the Wodaabe women, who can choose up to four mates during the festival. If the men are not selected, they are very lonely for the next year.

The Wodaabe men hand make their tunics, hats and jewelry hoping to attract women at the festival.


A Wodaabe man prepares for the gerewol, prior to the dances which go on for several days in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

Touaregs, a separate tribal group, come from hundreds of miles away, and dress up their camels to attend the annual two week long Cure Salee celebration.


The dancing, singing and courting goes on late into the nights.

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