- Men from the Bodi tribe compete to become the fattest during the new year or Ka'el ceremony
- They spend six months guzzling a mixture of blood and milk in a bid to fatten up as fast as they can
- The winning fat man doesn't get a prize but is feted as a hero for life by the rest of the tribe
- Bodi want to retain their traditions but they are threatened by government resettlement plans
Hero: Every child wants to become
one of the fat men, according to Lafforgue, who are feted as heroes by the rest
of the tribe for their incredible feat
Competition: On the day of the Ka'el
ceremony, the tribe's fat men walk for hours around a sacred
tree, watched by
other men and helped out by the women
Challenge: The feat begins six
months before the Ka'el ceremony when participants retire to their huts where
they stay, while the women bring them food
Too much! A Bodi man finds that his
morning bowl of blood and milk is a little too much and is ill outside his hut
- watched by a baffled-looking herd of cows
Regime: Each competitor is nominated by his family who then spend the next six months helping him to fatten up on a diet of cow's blood and milk
Preparation: On the big day, the
contenders for the Bodi tribe's fattest man ceremony ready themselves by
covering their bodies in a mixture of white clay and ash
Decoration: The dress code for the
ceremony also includes a selection of beautifully worked headdresses, in this
case, one made from cowrie shells and ostrich plumes
Covering: Every part of the men's
bodies are daubed with the ash and clay mixture and the men also wear colourful
beaded necklaces and bracelets
On the way: Once the men
are ready to go, they walk to the sacred tree where the ceremony takes place -
a challenge for them because of their weight
Challenging: For many of the fat
men, the walking proves exhausting. Luckily, the women (left) and Lafforgue
himself (right) help them out
Relief: During the walk and the
ceremony that follows, the Bodi women are on hand to help out the fat men with
drinks of water and fortifying alcohol
On tenterhooks: After hours of
running around the tree in the scorching sun, the men wait to hear who will
take the title of the Bodi's fattest man
Winner: The 2013 champion is the man
on the left, who beat off all comers - including the man on the right. Both
will be feted as heroes for the rest of their lives
Sacrifice: The Bodi kill one of
their precious cows at the end of the ceremony and the village elders inspect
its blood and entrails to see what the future holds for them
Relief: After the ceremony has
concluded, the men return to normal eating patterns and have usually lost the
extra weight within a few weeks of Ka'el
Opportunity: Women use the Ka'el ceremony to inspect potential future husbands - in the Bodi tribe, fat is considered extremely attractive
Striking: The women attending the ceremony use it as an opportunity to show themselves off in their brightest and most beautiful clothes
Slim might be in elsewhere but for
Ethiopia's Bodi or Me'en people, bigger is always better. The tribe, which
lives in a remote corner of Ethiopia's Omo Valley, is home to an unusual ritual
which sees young men gorge on cow's blood and milk in a bid to be crowned the
fattest man.
Six months after starting the regime,
the men emerge to show off their newly engorged physiques and for a winner to
be chosen. The champion fat man is then feted as a hero for the rest of his
life.
Now the little known rite is the
subject of incredible photos taken by French shutterbug Eric Lafforgue - who
spent time with the Bodi while travelling through south-western Ethiopia during
the run up to the Bodi New Year or Ka'el ceremony.
Sadly, the Ka'el ritual and the
Bodi's traditional way of life is under threat from the Ethiopian government
who plan to resettle 300,000 people from all over the country on their lands.
For now, the tribe continue as they
always have, and still celebrate Ka'el in traditional style each June.
The contest begins six months before
the ceremony. Every family is allowed to present an unmarried man for the
challenge, who, after being chosen, retires to his hut and must not move or
have sex for the duration.
Food comes in the form of a cow's
blood and milk mixture, served regularly to the men by women from the village.
'The cows are sacred to the Bodi tribe so they are not killed,' explains
Lafforgue. 'The blood is taken by making a hole in a vein with a spear or an
axe, and after that, they close it with clay.'
Because of the scorching
temperatures, the men have to drink the two-litre bowl of blood and milk
quickly before it coagulates but as Lafforgue reveals, not everyone can handle
drinking so much at speed.
'The fat men drink milk and blood
all day long,' he says. 'The first bowl of blood is drunk at sunrise. The place
is invaded by flies. The man must drink it quickly before it coagulates but
some cannot drink everything and vomit it.'
On the day itself, the men cover
their bodies with clay and ashes before emerging from their huts for the walk
to the spot where the ceremony will take place.
Thanks to the weight gain, many of
them find covering the short distance tougher than the weeks spent fattening
up. 'Some fat men are so big that they cannot walk anymore,' explains
Lafforgue.
'One asked me if he could use my car
to go to the ceremony area. Once in the car, he started to drink milk and blood
again because he said he wanted to keep trying to be the fattest until the very
last moment.'
The ceremony itself involves
spending hours walking in a circle around a sacred tree, watched by the other
men and helped by the women who ply them with alcohol and wipe away the sweat.
Once the fattest man has been
chosen, the ceremony ends with the slaughter of a cow using a huge sacred
stone. Village elders will then inspect the stomach and the blood to see
whether the future will be a bright one or not.
After the ceremony, the men's lives
return to normal and most lose their enormous bellies after a few weeks of
eating sparingly. But a few weeks later, the next generation of competitively
fat Bodi men will be chosen and the cycle will begin again.
'Becoming a fat man is the dream of
every Bodi kid,' says Lafforgue. 'A few weeks [after the ceremony] he will
recover a normal stomach but he will remain a hero for life.'
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