Environment
Wa is in the southern part of the Sahel, the semi-arid area south of the Sahara that ranges from Senegal to the Sudan. Average annual rainfall is around 1000 mm, almost all of which occurs between May and October.
Following the May–October rainly season is a cool dry period called the Harmattan (in Waali sesiao sanga) when a steady, often dusty, north wind blows from the Sahara. The hottest period of the year is in February and March when daytime temperatures often reach 110 °F (42 °C)
Food and agriculture
Despite its urban status, Wa is in many ways still an agricultural community, and many people make a good portion of their living in small scale farming. The main crops are corn, millet, yams, okra and groundnuts. Upland rice is also farmed in a few areas. The major fruit crop is the mango. Shea nuts are collected from wild trees, for food or refinement into oils and cosmetics.
The staple food of Wa is known as T-Zed in English.
This is an abbreviation for the Hausa expression tuo zaafi, meaning 'very hot'. In Waali, this food is referred to as sao. It is a thick porridge of corn flour eaten like fufu - by tearing off a chunk and dipping into a soup, usually of okra.
The Wa chieftaincy
The paramount chief of the Wala people is known as the Wa-na (na means chief in Waali.)
The Wala chieftaincy has an unusually long recorded history, in various documents in Arabic. A dispute over the order of succession for the Wa-na began with the death of the Wa-na in 1998. This acriminous and sometimes violent controversy was partially resolved in 2003 with the enskinment of a new Wa-na.
His death in September 2006 left an uncertain future to the Wa-na.
The Wa-na's palace is a good example of traditional Sahelian architecture, with an exterior similar to that of the main mosque of Bobo-Dioulasso.
The Dumba Festival
The Dumba festival was the main traditional event of Wa. It was typically held in late September to correspond with the harvest. The highlight of the year was a ceremony in which the Wa-na stepped over a small cow lying on the ground.
According to traditional belief, if any part of the chief or his clothing touched the cow, he would probably die within the year. If on the other hand he stepped over the cow successfully, he was guaranteed a successful coming year.
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