Where: Niger, Africa
In western civilization, it's usually the women who have to trowel on the slap. In the Wodaabe tribe in West Africa, the roles are reversed. Every year, the males parade their beauty in front of prospective females at a festival called the gerewol, putting on elaborate make-up and colourful dresses. The preening and strutting culminates in the competitive dance known as yaake, which has been described by some as a cross between an opera and a drag show.
Preparation for the competition takes hours: men pluck their hairlines, eyebrows and whiten their teeth until they glow. Stimulants play a part too - some men drink a heady cocktail containing a psychoactive bark to give their facial movements the oomph needed for a memorable performance.
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