This annual festival celebrates the first making of fire on which the tribes existence depends – for warmth, for cooking around for protection against wild animals. Up tho 30,000 people descend on this small village. After a welcoming ceremony there is a communal lunch, followed by a reenactment of the discovery of the fire when the local lads get painted up, and pretty tanked up, and parade semi naked through the village. The afternoon is spent watching a dancing competition between the girls and grannies representing neighbouring villages to win the covered’best in show’ prize.

I’ll let my images tell the story of the day, starting with breakfast in the early hours in the town of Mile.

More to come soon.