‘Khar Bii’: Senegal’s Sheep Idol
In this Saturday, Oct. 6, photo, Djibi Seck leads ram Abdoulaye into the ring during the Fann area regional final of the Khar Bii competition, which seeks to find the best sheep in Senegal ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival, in Dakar, Senegal. Abdoulaye went on to win his regional and will advance to the national final on Oct. 20. In a nation where sheep are given names and kept inside homes as companion animals, the most popular show on television is “Khar Bii,” or literally, “This Sheep” in the local Wolof language. It’s an American Idol-style nationwide search for Senegal’s most perfect specimen. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
It is a wildly popular televised competition similar in style to American Idol, but for this TV show in Senegal there is no singing, just bleating.
The show, now in its fourth season, runs several times a week in the months leading up to the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Kabir.
Maud Julien reports on a popular quest to find the Senegal’s most beautiful sheep.