BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: Guinea-Bissau carnival

BBC NEWS / IN PICTURES
Graphics Version BBC Sport Home

Tuesday, 5 February 2008, 13:09 GMT

In pictures: Guinea-Bissau carnival

A young girl from the Bijagos ethnic group sings as they dance through Bissau's streets

1 of 11
Guinea-Bissau has put on a grand show for this year's carnival with thousands of people coming from all over the tiny West African country to participate and show off their talents.

A woman runs through Bissau's streets to see carnival floats

A woman runs through Bissau's streets to see carnival floats

2 of 11
Crowds run along the streets of the capital, Bissau, as carnival floats and live bands wind their way through the city streets.

Young girls from the remote Bijagos Archipelago play wooden drums and sing during the carnival parade

Young girls from the remote Bijagos Archipelago play wooden drums and sing during the carnival parade

3 of 11
The four-day pre-Lent celebrations and parades are a chance for music, dance and culture of the country's different ethnic groups to be shown off.

Dancers in front of Bissau's cathedral

4 of 11
Here participants perform to a panel of judges in front of the city's cathedral. Competition is fierce to win the dance, music, theatre, costume and masquerade categories.

Onlookers crowd the streets and climb trees to see the carnival

Onlookers crowd the streets and climb trees to see the carnival

5 of 11
Onlookers do anything they can to get a good view of the dance competition, including scaling trees in the town centre.

Performers with a long drum and a cow horn pipe

Performers with a long drum and a cow horn pipe

6 of 11
Men from Bubaque, an island off the coast, play instruments including a long drum, usually used during male rituals, and a cow horn pipe.

A masquerade puppet of Guinea-Bissau's independence hero Amilcar Cabral

A masquerade puppet of Guinea-Bissau's independence hero Amilcar Cabral

7 of 11
Independence hero Amilcar Cabral is one of the many figures to feature in the masquerade parade. Children use mud, sticks, paper, glue and paint to make the masques.

Cowrie shells and bells in the hair of one of the carnival participants

Cowrie shells and bells in the hair of one of the carnival participants

8 of 11
Cowrie shells and bells make up part of the exotic hairstyles on display during the carnival celebrations.

A young girl parades in front of a panel of judges

A young girl parades in front of a panel of judges

9 of 11
Palm oil rubbed into the skin gives this young girl her red glow as she parades in front of the judges.

Senegalese singer Pierre N'Diaye sings from a float in Bissau

Senegalese singer Pierre N'Diaye sings from a float in Bissau

10 of 11
The festival also attracts performers from neighbouring countries. Here popular Senegalese singer, Pierre N'Diaye, sings to crowds as they drive through Bissau's dusty streets.

A drummer in Bissau resting on a wheelbarrow

A drummer in Bissau resting on a wheelbarrow

11 of 11
A drummer finds a wheelbarrow a perfect place to sit while playing. When the crowd moves on, he can easily take his drums with him. Words and photos: Rose Skelton.

E-mail this to a friend

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Network Africa
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites