LE BANQUET DES HYÈNES

One of Harar's most spectacular attractions is the "meal" served each evening to the hyenas that abound in the area around the town. To find the place that can change, ask around.

The legend. More than just a tourist attraction, this ceremony is part of the town's history, which is said to have begun five hundred years ago. Legend has it that, during a particularly persistent famine afflicting man and beast, the inhabitants of Harar feared falling prey to hyenas whose hunger drove them to the heart of the city. To restore harmony, a butcher inspired by Allah undertook to feed the beasts and keep them out of the city. Since then, this pact of good neighborliness has been constantly renewed.

Today. One man, Abbas Yusuf, from a line traditionally devoted to this exercise for fifty years, notably his uncle and father who passed the torch to him, performs the ritual every evening. He has now domesticated almost 300 hyenas, who live in 3 distinct groups, one of 70, one of 50 and one of 40 hyenas. When the father started out, the hyenas sometimes attacked people, but with the advent of the tourist attraction and the generations, they've become totally domesticated. " We grew up together like brothers and sisters, and I started feeding them when I was 7. They live for fifteen years, each with its own name and a distinctive whistle to call them," explains Abbas. They also have a cleaning role, as at night they enter the walled city and take out the rubbish, without ever attacking anyone, even at night. Hyenas used to live at the entrance to the city in the forest, but they no longer have a territory because there's been too much construction everywhere. There used to be a lot of them, but the farmers have blocked up the holes where they used to live because they were damaging the sorghum crops, and the buildings have driven them further and further away. There's a risk that the tradition will disappear as a result of urbanization. We find a lot of dead hyenas, which proves that they are in danger. It makes us sad," explain Abbas and his father.

The show. As night falls, Abbas calls out. Soon, the characteristic cries of these fearsome carnivores can be heard, and glistening eyes appear in the half-light, which seems to be teeming with a veritable pack. The dominant animal approaches cautiously and seizes the morsel of meat presented to it by the man at the end of a stick, or sometimes even held in its own mouth. The other hyenas follow suit, calling out their names and taking part in the feast, in a concert of broken bones and giggles. Although intimidating, this spectacle is an opportunity to appreciate the impressive power of the jaws of these predators, which can weigh up to 80 kg. While some recommend lighting the scene with headlights, which is a great help to photographers, darkness creates an even more impressive atmosphere. Be aware that, on certain evenings, hyenas are more shy and you'll have to wait a long time for them to come and feed.

Festivities. Achura, the new year of the Muslim calendar, is celebrated here every year. The locals give porridge as an offering to the hyena king.