Two men wrestle during Togo's Evala Festival, a coming of age competition among the Kabye people in the Kara region.
The Evala Festival is an annual tradition of the Kabye people in northern Togo. It is a coming of age that all men must participate in to be able to get married and to be accepted as men. There are many components to the festival, but the principal part are wrestling matches that pit brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, village against village, districts against districts, and so on. Boys train as early as six years old to take part in the competition and their skill is evident in the arena. Men must fight in the festival for three consecutive years to complete the tradition and cannot fight again after that.
Size: 5081px × 3387px
Location: Tchitchao Village, Kara Region, Togo
Photo credit: © Max McClure / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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