Documents the Journey to and Highlights of the 2018 Wodaabe Gerewol Festival in Niger by Anthropologist/Photographer, Leanna Wolfe.

1. Gerewol Festival

2. Ethiopian
Airlines,
My Carrier
from Cape
Town to, Niger

3. Bole Airport
Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
Chill Space..

4. Niamey, Niger Airport

5. Niger is one of the poorest countries
in the world with very limited
infrastructural development and
an average birth rate of 6.7 children per
family. There is significant open land
for grazing enabling Pastoralists such as
the Bororo (Wodaabe) to effectively
maintain their herds and their traditions.
Other tribal peoples in Niger include
the Hausa, Djerma, Fulani and the
Tuareg.

7. Roadside
Business selling
root crops
and cell phone
SIM Cards

8. Passage over
the less
travelled roads
required a
military escort.

9. The roads were horrible and the whole caravan
stopped whenever there was car trouble!

10. Wide Open Niger Countryside

13. Girl with Goat : Typical Village Life

14. Lakeside Dwellings…

15. Rural Villages with rough fences and animals..

16. The Gerewol Festival:
Wodaabe Young Men’s
Beauty Pageant

17. • Annual Gathering of Wodaabe Pastoralists
• Opportunity to Meet Potential Partners
• Community Standards for Male Beauty
• Bright Teeth – Shining Eyes
• Lips flutters / Eye Rolls
• Handmade Costumes
• Celebration of Young Male Sexuality
• Supervised by Elders
• Hookups that could last a lifetime…
• Opportunity for trial Partnerships

18. Getting Ready!

20. Herds at the Festival…

21. Camping with Camels

22. The Yaake Dance
For Personality
and Charisma

25. The Vielle (Old) Woman
Inspects the Yaake
Dancers

26. Tribal
Elder
Surveys
the
Dancers

28. The Young
Women’s Dance

29. The Young Women’s Dance

30. The Gerewol
Seduction Dance

33. Girls Enjoy
The Show

35. Excited
Onlookers!

36. Prepping the
Finalists’ Feather
Head Gear

37. A Seductive Look!

39. Perfect Pose!

40. Young Women
With Big Decisions

41. Much to Consider!

42. Parallels to Burning Man
• Annual Gathering – Home Coming
• Remote Desert
• Camping
• Fires at Night
• Costumes & Body Decorations
• Opportunities to Meet New Partners
• Can be Brief Hookup
• Can be a Lasting Relationship
• Ritual Activities