Antogo Fishing Ritual 2025 in Mali

The Antogo festival is an authentic event, which usually takes place in early summer, about the 6th month of the dry season. The crowd of men and boys gather around the lake armed with fishing baskets. All together they rush to the lake to catch whatever they can. The water level is very low during this time and after the festival, the lake turns into a mud pool. Just within a few minutes hundreds of Dogon fishermen empty the lake completely. The catch is put into leather bags and given to the oldest man of the village. He ensures proper distribution of fish among people. Later in the evening, there is a large celebration.

During the rest of the year fishing in the lake is strictly forbidden. Antogo Lake is considered to be a sacred spot, located In the Northern part of Dogon country, beneath the village of Bamba. The festival takes place at the peak of the dry season when food is scarce in Mali, covered by Sahara desert and the dry steppes of the Sahel.