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Observing a Coming-Of-Age Ceremony in Bassari Country, Senegal
In the foothills of the Fouta Djallon Mountains, the Bassari live relatively isolated from major Western influences; but every May, dozens of travelers visit the region to observe public rituals that mark the coming-of-age of young Bassari men. In a field ringed by the males of their villages, new initiates with wooden sabers wrestle their masked older counterparts, surrounded by cheering peers and watchful elders (you're permitted to observe from a nearby hill with the Bassari women). Later the festivities move to the village interior, where you can watch the electrifying drumming, dancing and singing of the village men and boys in celebration.
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