The Gerewol Festival- Görkem

The Gerewol Festival is annual festival, usually held in September among the Wodaabe people of Niger. Young men dressed in their best and most beautiful clothings perform and dance and sing. The main reason actually is quite simple: attentions of marriageable young women. And the ideal men according to traditions are tall and have white eyes and teeth, hence the rolling of the eyes which is popular during this festival. It takes place each year in September when the nomadic Wodaabe people gather at the southern edge of the Sahara and festivities last for about a full week. The end of September marks the end of the rainy season in this part of the country. The most famous place where the Gerewol Festival is held is in In-Gall in northwest Niger, where a large festival, market and series of clan meetings take place for the Wodaabe people. But there are many more comparable festivals wherever the Woodabe people might be at that time. Although the festivals have been held for hundreds of years, they are now much more of a tourist attraction than ever and some even have fixed dates, set by the government. The government sometimes even decides who can perform or not!