CHAD

CHAD

Celebration: The Guérewol

The Guérewol  is an annual courtship ritual competition among the Wodaabe Fula people of Niger. Young men dressed in elaborate ornamentation and made up in traditional face painting gather in lines to dance and sing, vying for the attentions of marriageable young women. The Guérewol occurs each year as the traditionally nomadic Wodaabe cattle herders gather at the southern edge of the Sahara before dispersing south on their dry season pastures.

National dish: Karkanji

This refreshing drink can be made entirely from plants grown in Chad.  With the heat as strong as it is here, karkanji satisfies thirst at little cost.  This is also used as a product of many a home-based business, and sold at the edge of a school, business or sporting event by the glassful.  Some say it is good for colds, runny noses and flu symptoms

Curious fact: The life expectancy in Chad is 50 years