Topic
The calendar of joy, from harvests to new years.
Every January, drums, masquerades and pilgrims fill the coastal town of Ouidah. Benin's Vodun Days honour a religion that is often misunderstood, and show what it really means to its followers.
Concerts, weddings, beach parties and homecomings. Every December, Lagos and Accra fill with visitors from the diaspora for a festive season known as "Detty December". Tonight, it reaches its peak.
From today until 1 January, millions of people of African descent light the candles of the kinara and reflect on the Nguzo Saba, seven principles drawn from African values. Here is the story of Kwanzaa.
Beach braais in South Africa, homecomings in Igboland, all-night church services in Accra, and Genna on 7 January in Ethiopia. Christmas in Africa takes many forms.
Legend says the Ewe escaped a tyrant king by walking backwards out of his walled city. Each November, the Anlo Ewe of Ghana's Volta Region celebrate that exodus with Hogbetsotso.
Tonight, across Ethiopia, great bonfires called demera will be lit to celebrate the finding of the True Cross. Meskel, recognised by UNESCO, is one of the most spectacular festivals in Africa.
At a signal, thousands of fishermen leap into the Matan Fada river in north-west Nigeria, armed only with hand nets and calabashes. The Argungu festival is one of West Africa's most extraordinary spectacles.
Each year, the island town of Lamu fills with pilgrims, singers and spectators to celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. This week, the Maulidi festival returns.
Sand underfoot, a lake as big as a sea, and a stage under the stars. Since 2004, the Lake of Stars festival has brought Malawian and international artists together on the beaches of Lake Malawi.
Each year in the hills of Akuapem, Ghana, the Odwira festival cleanses the community, honours the ancestors and renews the bond between people and their rulers.
High in Morocco's Atlas Mountains, an annual gathering of the Aït Haddidou people has become famous for weddings, and for a legend of two lovers whose tears formed two lakes.
No new yams may be eaten until the community has given thanks. Among the Igbo of Nigeria, the New Yam Festival honours the king of crops, the earth and the ancestors.
Hundreds of figures in flowing white robes and wide-brimmed hats parade through Lagos Island, honouring a departed king or chief. Here is the story of the Eyo festival.
This weekend, Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha. In Senegal and much of West Africa, it is called Tabaski, and a beautiful ram is the centre of every household.
In Morocco's ancient city of Fes, a festival founded in 1994 brings together Sufi singers, Christian choirs, Jewish cantors, Indian musicians and more. Its new edition begins this month.
Tomorrow, two rival warrior companies in Winneba, Ghana, will race into the bush armed only with sticks to catch a live antelope for their god. Here is the story of Aboakyer.
Every year, murals, performances, music and fashion take over the streets of Jamestown, one of Accra's oldest neighbourhoods. Here is the story of the Chale Wote Street Art Festival.
Today, Egyptians of every faith head to parks and riverbanks for picnics of salted fish, green onions and coloured eggs. Sham el-Nessim may be one of the world's oldest festivals.
Tonight, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians end a 55-day fast with a midnight service and a feast of doro wat. This year, Ethiopian and Western Easter fall on the same day.
Every year in late winter, tens of thousands of young women in Eswatini cut tall reeds, carry them to the Queen Mother's royal residence, and dance. Here is what Umhlanga means.
At the old slave castles of Cape Coast and Elmina, Ghana's Pan-African Historical Theatre Festival invites the African diaspora to remember, reflect and reconnect.
Each July in the village of Makunduchi, Zanzibaris welcome a "Shirazi" new year by settling the past year's grudges with banana stems and burning a thatched hut.
On the edge of a Nigerian city lies a sacred grove filled with shrines and sculptures. Every August it hosts a great festival for Osun, goddess of the river. Here is its story.
As Ramadan begins, Muslim communities from Cairo to Khartoum, Dakar to Zanzibar break their fast in their own ways. Here is a tour of the month's African traditions.
Every February, musicians from across Africa take the stage inside a centuries-old fort in Stone Town. Here is the story of Sauti za Busara, East Africa's best-loved music festival.
Since 1969, filmmakers from across Africa and its diaspora have gathered in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, for FESPACO. Its 29th edition opens this month.
Every January, thousands of Cape Town minstrels in satin suits dance through the city to banjos and drums. Their carnival grew from the single day of rest given to enslaved people.
Once a year in the Sahel, Wodaabe men paint their faces, line up and dance for hours, while women judge who is the most beautiful. Here is the story of Gerewol.
Dressed in layers of brilliant cloth that hide every inch of the body, Egungun masquerades bring the ancestors back to Yoruba communities. Here is what the festival means.
At the end of Ramadan and Eid al-Adha, the ancient city of Kano fills with horsemen in flowing robes riding to honour their emir. Here is the story of the Durbar.
Every year, the Ga people of Accra "hoot at hunger" with a month of silence, a feast of kpokpoi and joyful celebration. Here is the story behind Homowo.
Every January, Amazigh communities from Morocco to Egypt's Siwa Oasis welcome a new year counted from 950 BCE. Here is the story, the food and the meaning of Yennayer.
