Yonglar Girls
The Yonglar girls perform dangerous cultural performances among the Senufo people of West Africa. The Senufo people are spread across Mali, Burkina Faso, parts of Northern Ghana and Ivory Coast. Among these people, women play a significant role in the society. The power of the Senufo women is highly comparable to that of the men. Women were present during all social activities and were represented during traditional events. Women also went hunting and perform rituals. The Yonglar girls are trained to perform dangerous acrobatic stunts that involve sharp objects like knives. The performances are rigorous and are most likely to be performed by only men. However, the Senufo permit young girl as young as four and five years old to train and perform with older men. The Yonglar girls move from village to village to perform and are paid huge sums of money. When they are eight years old, they return to their normal lives and are given all the money they accumulated. This provides financial security for many girls who do not have to be ‘bought’ when they are being married.
