Argungu Fishing Festival
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Argungu Fishing Festival is an annual festival in north-western Nigerian state of Kebbi. The Argungu festival lasts for four days. On the final day of the festival, a competition is held in which thousands of men and women line up along the river and, At the sound of a gun shot, all of them jump into the river and have an hour to catch the largest fish. The winner can take home as much as 7,500 US dollars. Competitors are only allowed to use traditional fishing tools.
[edit] History behind the event
The festival began in the year 1934, as a mark of the end of a centuries old hostility between Sokoto Caliphate and the Kebbi Kingdom.
In 2005 the winning fish weighed 75kg, it needed 4 men to hoist it onto the scales. In 2006 the festival banned fishing due to safely concerns relating to the low water levels.[1]
Also see
