The West African country of Niger recently hosted its annual Cure Salée (Salt Cure) Festival. Held by the Fulani and Tuareg cattle herders in the Sahara desert, one major event is the Sahara camel race.

According to Africa News, twenty-five camels participated in the two-lap, five-kilometer race. This event is a central component of the culture for most camel breeders in the Sahara desert, and those who participated are not seeking a reward but glory.

Camel owner Khamid Ekwel stated the following:

“Camel racing is something we inherited from our parents. We don’t do it for interest or money, if we can get the money it’s okay. It’s more something we grew up with, it’s for fun. In Europe, there is football, here it is the camel race. It happens (ed, here) once a year, (ed, elsewhere) once in a while.”

Most of the camels come from all over the country, including nearby Algeria.

Until Next Time…

(Sources)

Photo Credit: Al Jazeera

Festival of the Nomads – Cure Salée. Asmat Travel. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2021, from http://www.asmat.eu/scripts/article.php?Article=171-festival-of-the-nomads-cure-salee. 

Niger hosts major Sahara camel race in the desert. Africa News. (2021, September 20). Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://www.africanews.com/2021/09/20/niger-hosts-major-sahara-camel-race-in-the-desert/.