The Sharo cultural festival
demonstrates the test of
endurance and bravery in a
most dramatic way. It is
celebrated by the Fulfude
speaking nomads, commonly called the Fulani and found
along the northern parts of the
countries that make up West
Africa, spreading from Nigeria
to Senegal. It is a major event
usually held twice a year within the settlements and eagerly
anticipated by participants and
audience alike, including
national and international
audience. The main attraction is
the raw display of endurance. Though many cultural activities
has been eroded due to the
introduction of Islam, the Jafun
Fulani has firmly adhered to this
culture. The first of this festival
happens in the dry-season during the guinea corn harvest
and the second, during the
Muslim festival of Id-el-Kabir. It is commonly held in an open
place, like a market square, and
for a week, commencing with
several forms of entertainment
as well as the maidens dance,
performance by minstrels and tricksters. The high point is of
course the flogging sequence. Sharo which means flogging,
tests the bravery of the young
initiates as they lash each other
to the peak of endurance. The
core of the Sharo festival
begins with the arrival of bare chested young unmarried men,
escorted by very beautiful girls
to the centre ring. The deafening
cheers and melodious drumbeat
raise expectations as
contestants eye their opponents. The family of the
contestants watch, praying
secretly not to be disgraced by
their sons. A son who endures
the flogging for a long time
brings respect to the family, but one who cannot endure by
begging the opponent to stop,
brings disgrace. The challenger is of the same
age group with the contestant
and provokes by wielding a big
thick cane at him with the sole
purpose of inflicting pain. He
flogs his opponent without a shred of compassion while the
opponent bravely withstands the
pain without flinching and
instead screams for more to
aggravate his challenger. Like
most sports, a referee is provided to make sure every
stroke is correctly struck to
prevent serious injuries like
blindness. Of course, it will be very difficult
to withstand such pain without
any form of assistance, so most
contestants are seen to silently
recite something during the
flogging or have previously gone through a traditional
fortification in preparation for the
big day. The severe floggings
most times leave an indelible
scar on the victim which he is
proud of, as a scar is a mark of bravery and successful
transition to manhood. At the end of the Sharo, the
brave and enduring boys
become men and are permitted
to marry the girl of their choice
from the clan. In accordance
with the tenets of Islamic religion, he can marry up to four
wives provided he has the
capacity to provide for them.
Though nomads the Fulani
socialization process is gender
specific; the females join their mothers in the kitchen and take
care of children and chores at
home, while the males rear
cattle and protect the family.
The culture over the years has
been diffused with Islamic tradition, leaving them with little
practices that survived the
cultural mix. One of such is the
Sharo festival, which is
predominant owing to its
importance to the Fulfulde speaking people.
