The Surma people, who live in a remote corner of southwest Ethiopia, practice one of the most unique courtship rituals in Africa. Every year, hundreds of Surma men come together to perform wild and violent stick fights to win the hearts of prospective wives. Unlike the Surma, who fight for women, the Wodaabe nomad men of Niger spend hours preening and painting themselves for an all-male beauty contest. The women act as judges and select their husbands and lovers.

Bridal rituals also vary. Swahili brides receive beauty treatments for several days; their bodies are massaged with coconut oil and their hands and feet are decorated with henna. Wodaabe brides are covered with blankets and hidden in the bush throughout their wedding ceremony. Ndebele brides accentuate the voluptuous girth that their men so admire by wearing immense beaded hoops around their legs and hips.