Meet Chef Dieuveil Malonga, a young gourmet chef specializing in Afro-Fusion cuisine.
Chad possesses a rich cultural heritage exhibited through Chadians love of music which is seen in their musical instruments such as the kinde, a type of bow harp; the kakaki, a long tin horn; and the hu hu, a stringed instrument that uses calabashes as loudspeakers. The popular Tibesti have clung to their heritage by drawing on sai, a traditional style of music from southern Chad.
Experience the culture of this landlocked country in North Central Africa. The capital city of N’Djaména, situated at the confluence of the Chari and Logone Rivers, is cosmopolitan in nature and offers great options for experience the food and culture.
The Gerewol festival is held in the Niger region southwest of Chad after the rainy season, approximately the last week of September or early October by the Woodabe people, a semi-nomadic Fulani ethnic group.
The Gerewol festival is the only occasion that brings the Woodabe people together.
Wodaabe are Sahelian nomads hailing from northern Cameroon to Chad, Niger, and northeast Nigeria.
Wodaabe lineage groups perform the Gerewol, Worso, and Yakke ceremonial dances throughout the short rainy season. Dozens of Wodaabe tribes gather for this festival. These nomadic tribes, mainly young men, gather in elaborate striking costumes that you would expect in a Hollywood production. Costumes with unique features such as feathers and other beautiful adornments are on display in the quest to woo prospective brides.
This is an ancient version of matchmaking and courtship of a grander scale. Men and women prepare adequately for this mystic event.
It’s a colorful, centuries-old festival. Men put on makeup, dress up, and perform a series of enigmatic dances to woo a new wife. If they do not get a wife, they, at the very least, score a night of pleasure. It is a beauty contest with a twist.
Men wake up at dawn to paint their faces with red ochre, draw white dots, and pile on the jewelery. They also apply a shade of black or blue to their lips during preening sessions that last for hours.
The Gerewol celebration includes feasting, socializing, and camel racing in addition to dancing. It culminates in a final dance show in which three ladies of marriageable age who have closely observed the dances during the preceding few days pick their three victors.
Go with Kumakonda. For more information visit https://kumakonda.com/trip/chad-gerewol-festival/
