Hans Silvester went more than thirty times to Ethiopia, in the Rift Valley, to meet the Suris. This semi-nomadic people live far from the modern world. Hans Silvester captured the ritual of the "donga" which can be translated as "duel with the stick". Strength, bravery and intelligence are the determining factors in these man against man fights. It is a very ancient ritual that brings together several tribes, and is especially a challenge for the conquest of women. The winners, adulated and elevated to the rank of heroes, concentrate the female gaze. 

Each donga can gather several hundred people. The referee, a respected former winner, ensures with gravity that the fighters respect the rules. The confrontations are brutal, violent and the injuries caused are sometimes serious or even fatal. Everyone knows this. The participants have an identical stick called "sagenai", carved in hazel wood.

The duels can be short or long depending on the resistance of the opponents. If one feels really dominated, he can put his knees on the ground as a sign of renunciation and the fight stops immediately. 

Retour De Voyage particularly likes this picture where the morphological disparities of the men are gathered, all ready to fight.