▷ Trip to Chad in October: Gerewol Festival and red arabs

30th Sep. - 8th Oct. 2023 (9 d. / 8 n.) / TRIP COMPLETED

Ethnographic trip to Chad in October specially designed to experience the Gerewol Festival of the Peul-Mbororo nomadic tribe.

During the month of October, the nomadic Peul-Mbororo shepherds meet in the region of Dourbali, three hours away from the capital city of Chad: Ndjamena. This makes it possible for us to live with one of the most enthralling peoples of the African Sahel. We will have the opportunity to discover their culture and beautiful aesthetics during the three-day Gerewol Festival. The aim of this ceremony is to unite the clans, and for the Mbororo women, to find a partner. Men try their best to attract women in search of a partner and We will be able to be there to enjoy this moment and take pictures of the whole ethnographic festival.

During this 8-day trip, we will also visit other nomadic Peul communities, as well as the Red Arab, who camp near Lake Chad during the month of October. If you want to know the detailed itinerary you can download it through the form that you will find below. Click here to easily reach the form.

The guide of the trip will be Henk Bothof, ethno-photographer specializing in remote tribal societies.

Gerewol Festival

Annual Fulani festival of the Mbororo or Wodaabe subgroup. During several days of the ceremony, the young men will decorate their faces and put on their best clothes to flirt and attract the young women. We will enjoy the songs, dances and performances that they perform during the ceremony. The girl joins the dance of the boy she has liked, touches his heart with her hand, and immediately afterwards, the couple is discreetly lost in the night.

Living with other tribes

Peul nomadic communities
We will live with other Peul nomadic communities in order to learn about their customs and way of life. This will allow us to observe the particular differences with the Wodaabe.

Red Arabs
We will visit some communities of Red Arab, who camp near Lake Chad during the month of October.

Photographs taken by Aníbal Bueno and Elena Molina.

Do you want to know the detailed itinerary of the trip to Chad?

This ethnographic trip to Chad is designed for lovers of ethnography, culture and photography. Click here to easily reach the itinerary download form.