End of Ramadan
Mauritania 2005
At dusk the entire population of Tchit began to stream out of their homes and, chattering happily, they hurried through the narrow sandy alleys to a field at the edge of the village. Drummers standing on one side of the field began to drum. This evening marked the end of Ramadan.
At first only men danced. They would gather the skirts of their gown-like gandouras and start to hop and jump and shriek. It didn’t look like dancing to us but the Mauritanians loved it. Later when the men had tired, the women entered the arena. Their movements were subtle and rhythmic…definitely dancing. The men and women didn’t dance with each other, but almost. The men reminded me of stingrays swimming. They’d move their arms which were covered by their gowns in a back and forth motion. Attractive.
By the time the dancing was in full swing, it was almost dark. I had brought my first digital camera, a tiny point and shoot that took ages to focus. I wanted to get a shot of two men with their flowing robes, but this is the best I could do.
To see another view of the celebration click here:
http://www.rosemarysheel.com/archives/sahara-celebration