In Senegal, Luxury Sheep Shine at a Beauty Contest and Fetch a High Price
Welcome to one of Senegal's most anticipated beauty pageants – not for humans, but for the locally bred Ladoum, the equivalent of a Ferrari among the woolly creatures. The annual contest featured more than a dozen Ladoum competing in three different categories: adult male, adult female, and young/promising. As each sheep is led into the open arena, a panel of judges note down their points based on distinct features like beauty, size, height, horns, and body texture for each round. Winners, announced at the end, are rewarded with food and cash prizes. This year's Best Male Adult sheep is Prive, 1 year and 7 months old, whose breeder estimated him to be worth more than 100,000 in the market. 'It feels good to be here. I cherish him so much,' Isaiah Cisse, Prive's breeder, said with a wide grin as he massaged the sheep for a successful outing.
Unlike the more common sheep eaten and used as sacrifices during Muslim celebrations, the crossbreed Ladoum are mainly seen as a living, breathing symbol of social prestige and luxury, bred for years before they are sold. Widely known as one of the world's most expensive sheep, the older ones usually fetch a price of 70,000, compared to 250 for a regular sheep, and attract buyers from around the world to this West African nation of 18 million people, where livestock is a key source of livelihood. Mostly weighing up to 400 pounds (181 kilograms) and up to 4 feet (1.21 meters) in height, the Ladoum are known for their physical grandeur, with curling and symmetrical horns and lustrous sheen.
As the contest unfolded in Senegal's capital, Dakar, each sheep is announced before it is led by the breeder onto an elevated stage where it is inspected by the judges, to the elation of the crowd. Each receives joyful chants from a band troupe featuring the local Senegalese instrumental Assiko music, with the sheep's praise names ringing out aloud. 'You can't see a sheep like this in Africa, or even in the world,' said Elhadji Ndiaye, a member of the judging panel. 'Ladoum is special.'
Many agree with him. Musa Faye, a 22-year-old breeder, said his 18-month-old sheep was named Diomaye after Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to show the sheep's significance for him and his family. 'I spend a lot of time with him and play with him,' Faye said of his sheep. 'I am preparing him for the next competition because I know he will win (the trophy),' he added.
The contest, which has been running for some years, took place alongside an exhibition that featured even young breeders like Ibrahim Diagne. At 12, he is anticipating bringing his Ladoum for the contest someday. 'My parents like this and have always done it, so I like it too,' Diagne said of his passion for the family's sheep rearing business.
Such passion is common in Senegal, where sheep rearing is an age-old tradition deeply woven into family life and culture. Even animal traditions are passed down through the generations. Maniane Ndaw's prized sheep, Alou, won this year's Best Junior Male, following in the footsteps of the sheep's father, who won several titles. 'For me, it's a great, great pleasure,' Ndaw said. 'It shows that the lineage is a good one.'
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Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
In Senegal, luxury sheep shine at a beauty contest and fetch a high price
DAKAR: The regal creatures are led into the open arena, stamping their groomed hooves as if to acknowledge the cheers, music and fireworks from the crowd of spectators. Their majestic figures embody pride and status, their towering size, prominent muzzle, curved horns and polished skin on full display as night falls. Welcome to one of Senegal's most anticipated beauty pageants – not for humans but for the locally bred Ladoum, the equivalent of a Ferrari among the woolly creatures. The annual contest featured more than a dozen Ladoum, competing in three different categories as adult male, adult female and young/promising. As each sheep is led into the open arena, a panel of judges note down their points based on distinct features like beauty, size, height, horns and body texture for each round. Winners, announced at the end, are rewarded with food and cash prizes. This year's Best Male Adult sheep is Prive, 1 year and 7months old, whose breeder estimated him to be worth more than $100,000 in the market. 'It feels good to be here, I cherish him so much,' Isaiah Cisse, Prive's breeder said with a wide grin as he massaged the sheep for a successful outing. Unlike the more common sheep eaten and used as sacrifices during Muslim celebrations, the crossbreed Ladoum are mainly seen as a living, breathing symbol of social prestige and luxury bred for years before they are sold. Widely known as one of the world's most expensive sheep, the older ones usually fetch a price of $70,000, compared to $250 for a regular sheep, and attract buyers from around the world to this West African nation of 18 million people, where livestock is a key source of livelihood. Mostly weighing up to 400 pounds (181 kilograms) and up to 4 feet (1.21 meters) in height, the Ladoum are known for their physical grandeur with curling and symmetrical horns and lustrous sheen. As the contest unfolded in Senegal's capital, Dakar, each sheep is announced before it is led by the breeder onto an elevated stage where it is inspected by the judges, to the elation of the crowd. Each receives joyful chants from a band troupe, featuring the local Senegalese instrumental Assiko music with the sheep's praise names ringing out aloud. 'You can't see a sheep like this in Africa or even in the world,' said Elhadji Ndiaye, a member of the judging panel. 'Ladoum is special.' Many agree with him. Musa Faye, a 22-year-old breeder, said his 18-month-old sheep was named Diomaye, after Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to show the sheep's significance for him and his family. 'I spend a lot of time with him and play with him,' Faye said of his sheep. 'I am preparing him for the next competition because I know he will win (the trophy),' he added. The contest, which has been running for some years, took place alongside an exhibition that featured even young breeders like Ibrahim Diagne. At 12, he is anticipating bringing his Ladoum for the contest someday. 'My parents like this and have always done it, so I like it too,' Diagne said of his passion for the family's sheep rearing business. Such passion is common in Senegal where sheep rearing is an age-old tradition deeply woven into family life and culture. Even animal traditions are passed down through the generations. Maniane Ndaw's prized sheep Alou won this year's Best Junior Male, following in the footsteps of the sheep's father who won several titles. 'For me, it's a great, great pleasure,' Ndaw said. 'It shows that the lineage is a good one.'
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
In Senegal, Luxury Sheep Shine at a Beauty Contest and Fetch a High Price
The regal creatures are led into the open arena, stamping their groomed hooves as if to acknowledge the cheers, music, and fireworks from the crowd of spectators. Their majestic figures embody pride and status; their towering size, prominent muzzle, curved horns, and polished skin on full display as night falls. Welcome to one of Senegal's most anticipated beauty pageants – not for humans, but for the locally bred Ladoum, the equivalent of a Ferrari among the woolly creatures. The annual contest featured more than a dozen Ladoum competing in three different categories: adult male, adult female, and young/promising. As each sheep is led into the open arena, a panel of judges note down their points based on distinct features like beauty, size, height, horns, and body texture for each round. Winners, announced at the end, are rewarded with food and cash prizes. This year's Best Male Adult sheep is Prive, 1 year and 7 months old, whose breeder estimated him to be worth more than 100,000 in the market. 'It feels good to be here. I cherish him so much,' Isaiah Cisse, Prive's breeder, said with a wide grin as he massaged the sheep for a successful outing. Unlike the more common sheep eaten and used as sacrifices during Muslim celebrations, the crossbreed Ladoum are mainly seen as a living, breathing symbol of social prestige and luxury, bred for years before they are sold. Widely known as one of the world's most expensive sheep, the older ones usually fetch a price of 70,000, compared to 250 for a regular sheep, and attract buyers from around the world to this West African nation of 18 million people, where livestock is a key source of livelihood. Mostly weighing up to 400 pounds (181 kilograms) and up to 4 feet (1.21 meters) in height, the Ladoum are known for their physical grandeur, with curling and symmetrical horns and lustrous sheen. As the contest unfolded in Senegal's capital, Dakar, each sheep is announced before it is led by the breeder onto an elevated stage where it is inspected by the judges, to the elation of the crowd. Each receives joyful chants from a band troupe featuring the local Senegalese instrumental Assiko music, with the sheep's praise names ringing out aloud. 'You can't see a sheep like this in Africa, or even in the world,' said Elhadji Ndiaye, a member of the judging panel. 'Ladoum is special.' Many agree with him. Musa Faye, a 22-year-old breeder, said his 18-month-old sheep was named Diomaye after Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to show the sheep's significance for him and his family. 'I spend a lot of time with him and play with him,' Faye said of his sheep. 'I am preparing him for the next competition because I know he will win (the trophy),' he added. The contest, which has been running for some years, took place alongside an exhibition that featured even young breeders like Ibrahim Diagne. At 12, he is anticipating bringing his Ladoum for the contest someday. 'My parents like this and have always done it, so I like it too,' Diagne said of his passion for the family's sheep rearing business. Such passion is common in Senegal, where sheep rearing is an age-old tradition deeply woven into family life and culture. Even animal traditions are passed down through the generations. Maniane Ndaw's prized sheep, Alou, won this year's Best Junior Male, following in the footsteps of the sheep's father, who won several titles. 'For me, it's a great, great pleasure,' Ndaw said. 'It shows that the lineage is a good one.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
4 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Game 'Reloots' African Artefacts from Western Museums
Under the cover of darkness, Nomali jumped over a wall, burst into a museum and snatched a human skull from a pedestal before escaping through a window to the wail of an alarm. The daring heist was not the work of a real-life criminal. Nomali is the protagonist of a new action-packed video game where players "reclaim" artefacts taken from African countries to be displayed in the West. Developed by Johannesburg studio Nyamakop, "Relooted" is set in an imaginary future but tackles a topical issue: calls for Western institutions to return to Africa the spoils of colonization. Players are tasked with taking back 70 artefacts -- all of which exist in real life -- with a "team of African citizens", said producer Sithe Ncube, one of a team of 30 working on the game. The items include the "Benin Bronzes" sculptures removed from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago, and which The Netherlands officially returned to Nigeria on June 21. Another is the sacred Ngadji drum from Kenya's Pokomo community, which was confiscated by British colonial authorities in 1902. "Its removal destabilized the community," Ncube said as an animated drawing of the wooden instrument flashed on her computer. Players "can see where it's from... and read about the history," she said, giving a demo. 'Is it stealing?' On the screen a crew of characters in Afrofuturist costumes debated a plan to recover the remains of Tanzanian chiefs hanged by German colonial forces. One asked: "Is it stealing to take back what was stolen?" "We are going to do whatever it takes to take back Africa's belongings, and we are going to do it together," said the character Nomali. "Sometimes the stories behind these (artefacts) are actually very upsetting," Ncube told AFP. "It makes you see how much colonialism has affected... and shaped the world." Growing up in Zambia, she knew of her country's iconic "Broken Hill Man", a skull about 300,000 years old held in London's Natural History Museum and which is also featured in "Relooted". But it was only when working on the game that Ncube realized how many African cultural artefacts were held abroad, she said. In France alone, museums stored about 90,000 objects from sub-Saharan Africa, according to a 2018 report commissioned by the government. "Africans, to actually see these things that are part of their own culture, have to get a visa, pay for flights and go to a European country," Ncube said. "My whole life, I've never seen 'Broken Hill Man'." Skewed identity The looting of artefacts over centuries robbed communities of their "archives" and "knowledge systems", said Samba Yonga, co-founder of the digital Museum of Women's History in Zambia. "Our history predates colonization by millennia," she told AFP, but many people "don't even realize that we have a skewed sense of self and identity." Reclaiming these objects would enable "a shift in how the next generation views their culture and identity," she said. The same hope underpinned "Relooted", which was unveiled this month at Los Angeles's Summer Game Fest where it attracted a lot of interest from the diaspora and other Africans, Ncube said. "I hope that the game encourages people from other African countries to want to tell their own stories and bring these things to light," she said. One character felt personal for the producer: Professor Grace, Nomali's grandmother and described as "the brains behind the mission". "I started seeing my own grandmother in her," Ncube said with emotion. "She represents a connection between our generations, fighting for the same thing we've always been fighting for."
