SENEGAL-CULTURE-TRADITION

A man performs a sacred ritual cutting his body with a knife without drawing blood during the 2025 Jola Cultural Festival (Futampaff) in Thiobon, Cassamance region, on August 6, 2025. The Festival is a significant cultural event for the Jola people, marking the transition from boyhood to manhood. As part of the rites, young initiates prepare to enter the sacred forest, a deeply spiritual journey guided by tradition and ancestral wisdom. The ceremony also teaches the importance of respecting elders and women, learning how to share, and embracing principles of success and community. (Photo by Muhamadou BITTAYE / AFP) (Photo by MUHAMADOU BITTAYE/AFP via Getty Images)