honorable mention
SERGIO GALAN SANCHIS spain
title
The Surma Donga
As they live isolated, they keep their traditions somewhat intact.
The main ceremony in Surma culture is the “Donga”. When harvest is finished, a few chosen warriors of every Surma village fight with wooden sticks called “donga” surrounded by all the Surma people. The point is proclaiming virility, revenge past affronts or seeking bride.
This is a series taken in September 2019.
Pictures:
1. Surma people watching the Donga fights. A lot of them have weapons. They get Kalashnikov from Sudan war or they buy it (they told me that the price is around 800-1000$, the same price that costs a cow). Often they shoot to the air; sometimes among them.
2. A group of fighters arrives searching for new opponents to fight. Some of them have already won some match because they grab awards in their hands. Usually, winners pick up from the soil the award gifts (necklaces weaved by single girls postulating to marriage).
3. Some fighters, inside the battle camp, getting ready just before start the combat.
4. During the donga fight. Warriors fight naked wearing just a few homemade protections (head, elbows, wrists and knees). Some fighters overestimate their skills or just try to show their fearless and they fight without protections.
5. During the donga fight. Usually, there is a tight control during the fight in order to just win but not kill the opponents. But sometimes there are deaths. If this happens the winner has to pay a fee in cows or goats to the family of the dead man, and the shame fall over him.
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entry description
The Surma or Suri are an ethnic group of the Southern Nations of Ethiopia. Part of them lives in West Omo Valley area and part in South Sudan. The Suri population was 32,000 in 2016.As they live isolated, they keep their traditions somewhat intact.
The main ceremony in Surma culture is the “Donga”. When harvest is finished, a few chosen warriors of every Surma village fight with wooden sticks called “donga” surrounded by all the Surma people. The point is proclaiming virility, revenge past affronts or seeking bride.
This is a series taken in September 2019.
Pictures:
1. Surma people watching the Donga fights. A lot of them have weapons. They get Kalashnikov from Sudan war or they buy it (they told me that the price is around 800-1000$, the same price that costs a cow). Often they shoot to the air; sometimes among them.
2. A group of fighters arrives searching for new opponents to fight. Some of them have already won some match because they grab awards in their hands. Usually, winners pick up from the soil the award gifts (necklaces weaved by single girls postulating to marriage).
3. Some fighters, inside the battle camp, getting ready just before start the combat.
4. During the donga fight. Warriors fight naked wearing just a few homemade protections (head, elbows, wrists and knees). Some fighters overestimate their skills or just try to show their fearless and they fight without protections.
5. During the donga fight. Usually, there is a tight control during the fight in order to just win but not kill the opponents. But sometimes there are deaths. If this happens the winner has to pay a fee in cows or goats to the family of the dead man, and the shame fall over him.
about the photographer
I'm a passionated traveler. I try to catch what amazes me in my photographs and writtings.back to gallery