Many indigenous cultures in Africa often have rites before they allow the groom to marry their daughters. These traditions may vary from culture to culture, sacrifice, hunting, tests of bravery, strength, and fortification.
One of such indigenous people would be the Fulani of West Africa. These people practice the Sharo Festival diligently. The word Sharo means flogging. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and also one of the largest bodies of ethnic groups in Africa.
The country comprises over 300 ethnic groups/tribes and among the largest include Hausa-Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, Kanuri, Annang, Tiv, Ibibio, Etsako, and Efik.
These tribes have rich and peculiar cultures or traditions that vary from hunting to fishing to horse riding amongst others and are key to them surviving their everyday life. One of the standouts among these large numbers of cultures is the Sharo festival celebrated by the Fulani ethnic group, found in the northern region of Nigeria.
The Fulani ethnic group is one of the dominant ethnic groups in Nigeria alongside the Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo groups. They are known to practice the Sharo festival diligently. Sharo; which means flogging is a festival for the rite of passage from boyhood to manhood.
The young Fulani boys test their strength and endurance by getting flogged. Shocking as it may be, it is a festival that is quite cherished and celebrated by the Fulanis.
They celebrate the festival during the dry season when guinea corn is ready for harvesting and during the Muslim celebration of Eid-el-Kabir. The flogging festival lasts for a week and is usually held in open places such as markets, fields, and village squares.
It is attended by dignitaries from within and outside the Fulani nation and Nigeria as well. The festival starts up with various forms of performances from tricksters and maiden dancers, however, the central focus of the festival begins with the arrival of bare-chested, unmarried men who are escorted to the center ring by beautiful young girls.
Elated spectators cheer on in anticipation as contenders and challengers set the ball rolling while families of the contenders watch and pray not to be disgraced by their sons because it is shameful for a family whose son cannot endure the pain from the flogging.
Fulanis believe in flogging a prospective groom publicly before the wedding. All suitors are expected to go through this rigorous flogging and anyone who cries or chickens out loses the bride. The woman sees it as a thing of pride if her man gets flogged for her.
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