Traditions
Naming days, harvests, marriages and mournings — documented with the consent of the families involved.
In this collection
Ceremonies, rites and the practices that mark a life.
14 entries in the archive.
Video · Wolof · 15 min
The Naming Day
Seven days after birth, a family gives a child its name and its history.
Open entryAudio · Fula · 13 min
Harvest and the First Rain
Farming ritual and the calendar it keeps.
Open entry
Photograph · Wolof & Mandinka · 32 images
Cloth, Colour and Meaning
What is worn, and what it says without speaking.
Open entryFrom the archive
Traditions recordings
Folklore · The Gambia
Ninki Nanka: A River of Stories
Story · 8 min read
Traditions · The Gambia
Jiidaano and Korondoo: When Communities Call on the Rain
Story · 7 min read
Traditions · The Gambia
Basket Weaving in The Gambia: The Craft That Holds Everything
Video · 6 min read
Traditions · The Gambia
The Story Behind a Naming Ceremony
Audio · 9 min
Traditions · Senegal
Kankurang: The Guardian of the Grove
Story · 6 min read
Traditions · Ghana
Kente: The Cloth That Is Read
Story · 6 min read
Traditions · Mali
Sanké Mon: The Fishing Day at San
Story · 5 min read
Traditions · Niger
Cure Salée: The Salt Cure at In-Gall
Story · 5 min read
Traditions · Togo
Evala: The Wrestling Season in Kara
Story · 5 min read
Traditions · Sierra Leone
Gara: The Indigo Cloth of Sierra Leone
Story · 5 min read
Traditions · Guinea-Bissau
Carnival in Bissau: Masks of Many Islands
Story · 5 min read
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