Algerian Sahara: 10-day ancient festival returns to Djanet
Thousands of Tuareg have gathered at the annual Sebeiba festival in Djanet, celebrating the mark of the ancient tribal feud, according to Reuters.
The desert town deep in the Algerian Sahara has been transformed by visitors for the 10-day event, which started on Saturday 29th July.
During this time, male dancers dress as warriors and wield their swords, performing to the music created by women in lavish jewelry and henna.
The men parade their weapons and “then stand in a ritual circle rattling their swords continuously as the women sing traditional songs to the rhythm of the tambourine,” says the UN cultural organisation.
In Djanet, preparations started days before the festival began.
A 64-year-old participant in the celebrations said that ‘during rehearsals children were learning to dance and everyone could let off steam.’
Local residents have also been preparing before the event, making uniforms, weapons, jewelry and musical instruments to be used by those celebrating.
The festival this year marks 3000 years since two Tuareg tribes, El Mihane and Zelouaz, ended a feud between them.
The tradition has been passed down through Islamic practice, celebrating the death of the Egyptian pharaoh who perished in the Red Sea whilst pursuing Moses and the fleeting Israelites.
