Fulani boys cannot wait to be flogged during Sharo festival
Africa is one of the most diverse continents in the world, blessed with a million and one cultures and traditions. Just as in other parts of the world, each of these societies have their ways of celebrating the passage from childhood to adulthood and Nigeria is no exception. In Ondo state, there is the Yoruba Obitun festival for the women, and for the fulfulde speaking tribe in Fulani, there is the Sharo festival.
The Sharo Festival highlights the Fulani boys who are about to become men by showing off their strength and endurance. It is usually celebrated for a week out in an open space, like a market or a field, with a lot of entertainment, magicians, traditional dancers, performers and merriment; but the real thing that gets people excited is the flogging ceremony.
The festival starts with the young boys arriving with bare chests while being escorted by beautiful unmarried ladies. As soon as they are sighted, the crowd will start cheering them on, while these young men take that time to size up their competitors. These boys usually have to be in the same age group, so two of the boys step into the circle formed by the other boys and the spectators. Then they indulge in a serious stare down holding their strong and mean looking canes. This intimidating look is aimed at trying to get into the other’s head.
Now they must flog each other till one of them surrenders, and with the help of the agreed referee, the game will be stopped immediately. Meanwhile, their family members are going to be watching and hoping their sons don’t show any sign of weakness by crying when getting flogged because that equals disgrace and shame on their family.
Some of the contenders come traditionally fortified to not feel pain, while some come with mantras to keep them strong and their minds focused, because a weak mind cannot take that much pain. At the end of the flogging ceremony, these boys will definitely be scarred, but these scars are highly celebrated as they are believed to be the mark of manliness.
Some of the things that keep these boys focused during flogging rites, are:
- The cheers from their family,
- The gifts they get after the Sharo festival
- The knowledge that after this rite, they will be allowed to marry any of the girls they want to marry – even if it’s more than one, yes. This is allowed because according to Islam, they can marry up to four women.
The Fulani, despite their Islamic beliefs, have not let go of this traditional rite, instead they have found a way to bring both culture and religion together. This festival is usually celebrated twice in a year, around the guinea corn harvest season and during the Id-el-Kabir.
Which other traditions have you heard or read about and you would like to read about from us? Let us know in the comment section.
#OddCulture is a series highlighting strange and unique cultural practices. In this edition, we highlight a culture that celebrates a boy’s transition to manhood with strokes of cane.
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Well Done❤️❤️❤️