French West Africa: French West Africa, Aug. 18, 1958

PROMPTLY at sunrise every Friday, the highest nobles and chiefs of the Mossi tribe gather outside the concrete palace in the capital of Upper Volta to go through a ceremony that has changed not one jot in centuries. Groveling in the dust, the chiefs render homage to the nobles and then in turn take homage from the multitudes around. When all that is done, drums begin to roll, and a plump young man of 28 suddenly appears, dressed in a bright red cap and robe. To 1,700,000 Mossi, the young Moro Naba is the...

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