In December every year, tourists from all over the world travel to Nigeria to witness what has come to be known as one of the largest African festivals, the Calabar Carnival. Apart from this, there are many other festivals across the continent that continue to attract people and attention.
Needless to say, the continent, with 54 countries, is the most culturally rich and diverse in the world. Moreover, it has people who take pride in their culture and traditions and never hesitate to display. From Ethiopia’s Timkat to Ghana’s Panafest, we explore some of the most amazing cultural festivals in Africa.
African Festivals Worth Experiencing
1 Timkat (Ethiopia)
This is originally a religious festival, but it has gradually gained more attention as a cultural festival. The Timkat is an Ethiopian Orthodox Church event marked to celebrate Epiphany or the baptism of Jesus with colorful processions, music, and traditional ceremonies.
Highlighted by a procession with a sacred replica of the Ark of the Covenant known as the Tabot, this event features music and celebrations by devotees who dress in white. It is seen as one of the most important religious events I Ethiopia.
2. Festival Sur le Niger (Mali)
This event is popular in three different countries: Nigeria, Niger, and Ghana. However, it is more elaborate and pronounced in Nigeria, where it attracts thousands of people to the event in Kano. When this festival first began, it was as a military parade whereby the emir and his military showed the strength of his cavalry.
However, much has changed, even though the glamour and sheer beauty have not waned. The festival is now a royal event featuring horse riding and procession by the emir, music, and exotic traditional attire.
3 Gerewol Festival (Niger)
Niger’s Gerewol festival of the Wodaabe people is one of the most fascinating cultural events on the African continent. In preparation for this event, men wear heavy makeup to enhance their looks so that women would allow them to steal them during the courtship ritual.
Apart from the elaborate face painting, the annual festival features other events, including the hypnotic dance by the Wodaabe men.
4 Calabar Carnival (Nigeria)
Calabar Carnival is one of the biggest carnivals in Africa. Taking place in Calabar, Nigeria, this colorful cultural event attracts people from all over the world.
It celebrates the rich and diverse culture of the various ethnic groups of Rivers State and the entire South-South sub-region of the country. Known as Africa’s Biggest Street Party, this carnival features a display of culture, music, dance, and beauty pageantry.
5 Panafest (Ghana)
The Pan African Historical Theatre Project, now known as PANAFEST, is the biggest cultural event in Ghana and one of the most esteemed on the African continent. The event serves to celebrate and promote Pan-Africanism and the unity of the African people.
Unlike many others that are held annually, this is a biannual event featuring theatre performers in the form of drama, music, and poetry, among other things.
6 Ouidah Voodoo Festival (Benin)
This is one of the most interesting and spiritually significant cultural festivals in Africa. It is a festival of the Vodun (Voodoo) religion, which is hosted in Benin, the home of the religion. The Ouidah Voodoo Festival is held in January, and it attracts worshipers and practitioners, as well as spectators.
The festival features some rather scary and disturbing rituals, including animal sacrifices, possession dances, and offerings to deities. During the ceremony, a procession led by the religion’s high priests goes to the Sacred Forest, where spirits are invoked.
7 Fes Festival of World Sacred Music (Morocco)
In North Africa, Morocco has the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, an annual festival that celebrates spiritual and musical traditions across Africa and beyond.
The week-long event features performances by various religions, including Christians, Muslims, and Hindus. Apart from music, there are other activities that mark the events, including debates and cultural dialogue. It is located in the ancient city of Fes.
8 Osun-Osogbo Festival (Nigeria)
Osun-Osogbo Festival is a cultural festival among the Yoruba people of Nigeria, in honor of the goddess Osun. Osun is regarded as the goddess of divinity, fertility, beauty, love, and femininity. The festival, which is held on the banks of the Osun River, lasts 14 days.
During the festival, devotees from all over the world, and most especially the Caribbean, come for pilgrimage to the sacred groove. It is highlighted by traditional cleansing, procession to the shrine, music, dancing, and celebration.
This festival dates back more than 600 years.
9 Umhlanga Reed Dance (Eswatini)
Among the Swazis, one of the most important cultural festivals is the Umhlanga Reed Dance, which is an annual ceremony that celebrates and promotes chastity among young girls.
During this ceremony, which is popular in Southern Africa and beyond, cultural pride is on display as thousands of unmarried Swazi girls cut reeds and present them to the Queen Mother as a sign of respect for the monarchy. The climax of the event is marked by the royal dance, followed by the selection of a bride by the king.
10 Durbar Festival (Nigeria)
Just like the Festival Sur le Niger, the Durban festival is a festival that celebrates royalty among the people of some parts of Northern Nigeria, including Kano and Katsina. The rich cultural festival is marked by an elaborate and colorful display of the rich dress sense of the people, as well as music and dancing.
The climax of the event is the horse parade by the emir and others in the royal family. This event is mostly held to mark the end of Ramadan or other Islamic events.
