The story
Fete du Dipri in Gomon
Dipri is a nocturnal purification ritual held by the Dida community of Gomon, announced by the local chief only shortly before it happens so that sorcery has no time to prepare a defense. The night includes mass street purification and, for some participants in trance states, dramatic acts of apparent self-endurance believed to demonstrate protective spiritual power, making it one of the more intensely documented ritual events in Cote d'Ivoire.
In Gomon, a small Dida town in the Agneby-Tiassa region, the Fete du Dipri turns on secrecy and speed: the ruling chief announces the exact date only hours before it happens, sometimes waking the whole village in the middle of the night, because tradition holds that evil intentions and sorcery need advance warning to prepare a defense.