Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
Six ways to experience traditional Diola culture
1 Visit Oussouye
The most important centre of Diola culture today is the town of Oussouye, where the resplendentin-red king has reigned since 2000. He’s honoured at the Xulam festival every September. Beyond the royal pomp and pageantry, Xulam is a red-letter day for traditional wrestling, where the region’s beefiest boys, slicked down in oil and piled high with gris-gris amulets (said to give good luck), square off in the sand. The palm wine festival in March/april is another ideal time to visit, when feasting, toasting and the beating of the bombolong slit drum is guaranteed.
2 Admire the architecture
There are low-key ethnographic museums in the villages of Kafountine, Boucotte and Mlomp, but Diola tradition is on display in houses in every village. The doughnut-shaped case d’impluvium is the most popular Diola building style (for local guesthouses, too), in which a green, rain-fed garden sits right in the middle of the home. The two-storey case à étage, built from nothing but mud and mangrove, can be seen in Mlomp or Affiniam, or you can even sleep in one in Oussouye.
3 Take in a masquerade
Diola life and ceremony is typically a rather egalitarian affair, where the line between audience and participant is consistently blurred. But there’s no mistaking who’s in charge at their masquerades, when a charging Koumpo or Essamaye spirit enters the crowd shrieking. Covered head-to-toe in a mesmeric mass of leaves and fronds, these spirits contort and spin themselves into impossible shapes while the surrounding women beat out a deafening clang on dozens of metal claves. It’s hard to say where and when you’ll find one of these performances, but you’re guaranteed to hear it coming first. You can more reliably find Diola music and dance in the tourist centre of Cap Skirring.
4 Catch Diola music in The Gambia
The Diola also live next door in The Gambia (counting ex-president Yahya Jammeh among their number), where they are known as Jola. But cultural traditions transcend borders (and spellings), and one of the most iconic Diola symbols in either country is the akonting, a stringed instrument known as the ancestor to the modern banjo. Daniel Laemouahuma Jatta of The Gambia’s Akonting Center in Mandinari (+220 959 9393) is among the most important conservators of this musical tradition, and he is happy to teach visitors’ lessons. You can also find players in Mlomp.
5 Receive a royal audience
If, and only if, approached through the correct channels – start by asking at your guesthouse in Oussouye – it’s not unheard of for the Diola king to grant visitors an audience. You’re expected to visit in keeping with all the decorum and protocols of the royal court (don’t wear red), and you may ask questions about Diola life and culture. Be sure to bring a French speaker (and a camera!) along.
6 Hit the water
Until recently, getting around Casamance’s dreamy tangle of land and water was much easier by river than by road, and for many communities it still is. Take a public pirogue from regional capital Ziguinchor to one of the far-flung Diola hamlets dotting the riverside, such as Niomoune or Pointe Saint-georges, where you’re likely to make some friends and maybe even spot some manatees along the way. Kayak trips can also be arranged through Casamance VTT (casamancevtt.com).