Where the steppes of the Sahel gradually lose themselves in the deserts of the Sahara, live a nomadic shepherd people that has been able to preserve their traditional way of life right up to the present day, The Bororo. The Gerewol Festival is a valuable opportunity for the Bororo to renew their family and social ties. As they travel through the countryside in small groups all year round, always looking for the best pastures and seeing nothing but the vastness of the horizon, there are few who do not participate in this festival, and also to learn of the latest news and for the marriageable girls perhaps to find a husband.

The Bororo camps seem somewhat disordered at first glance, but there are strict rules: a men's section in the west and a women's section in the east, marked with a rope in north-south direction, which is also used to tether the animals.

In the morning the young men begin with preparation for the dances. They dedicate hours to their hairstyle, which is quite complicated with lots of pigtails, and to their typical makeup. They try to get as close as possible to their ideal of beauty. They paint their lips black to accentuate the whiteness of their teeth and chew on branches of a special shrub.

The Mullah grasps the opportunity to remind the faithful of the rules and regulations of the Koran, which all too often are in stark contrast to the traditional customs and it is understandable why no women have come to hear the sermon as none of them would renounce the privilege to choose their own partner.

Everyone is now striking out on the long journey home, but it is not a real homecoming, as nomads they have no home. The Bororo spend their lives under a mercilessly shining sun, perhaps that's why they are called, "The Nomads of Light".