January Festivals and Events in Africa (2008)

January starts off with a bang in Cape Town during the annual Minstrel's Carnival. The carnival used to be called the "Coon Festival" but that doesn't market too well these days -- regardless, the festival itself is more fun every year as hundreds join in and march in fabulous costumes and play in marching bands.

The Dakar Rally is off to an early start this year; on the 5th of January more than 500 teams will ride and drive their way through the harshest parts of the Sahara desert. After 15 days of driving madness some of the contestants will manage to reach the finish line in Senegal's capital, Dakar.

By the end of January, most Africans will be glued to their TV sets and listening to their radios for the latest results of their biggest soccer championship -- the Africa Cup of Nations. 16 African teams will arrive in Ghana to play in the tournament. Besides watching soccer, the people of Mali have two major cultural festivals to enjoy, the Ethiopians celebrate Timket (the feast of Epiphany) and I'd like to say Happy New Year to the Amazigh of Northern Africa (more commonly known as the Berbers) who celebrate their New Year on January 12th.

Find out more about each event by reading January Festivals and Events in Africa.

_{Image of a Cape Town Minstrel by Henry Trotter}