The Mecca pilgrimage by West African pastoral nomads

Each dry season many Um Borroro or nomadic Fulani set off eastwards to Mecca. Some of the Um Borroro leave for Mecca driving some or all of their stock. They propose to live off their animals whilst passing along the savannas, and to raise the finance for the final stage of the pelgrimage – crossing the Red Sea, and entering Arabia – by selling the surviving cattle. They are determined to make the haj without compromising their traditions and customs by undergoing a change of life-style. These pastoral Fulani pilgrims are the subject of this article: The complex of routes along the savannas – The system and duration of nomadic movements – Financing the pilgrimage – The final stage of the pilgrimage – Conclusion. Ref., figures.