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Argungun Fishing Festival
A national spectacle
They come in their thousands to Bernin Kebbi to celebrate one of Nigeria’s most flamboyant events in the tourism calendar, the nation’s famous Argungun fishing festival. This year saw the fiftieth event since its origins in 1934, when the then Sultan Dan Mu'azu of Sokoto paid a friendly visit to the Emir of Argungun, Malam Mohammed Sama. To commemorate the occasion, and as the highest traditional honour of the Kabawa, a grand fishing competition was organised by Malal for the august visitor and members of his entourage.
What began as a simple gathering of traditional Argungun fishermen has grown into an international event of epic proportion, where many thousands of fishermen converge to take part in the barehanded competition armed only with a modest net. Canoes filled with drummers and men rattling huge gourds drive the fish to the shallower waters where they are captured, much to the delight of the crowds who come to watch.
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Image Source: Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation
