The Feok festival also known as  Feok Festival is celebrated by the chiefs and people of  Sandema in the Upper East Region. The festival is celebrated in the month of December every year.

The Feok festival is an important festival celebrated to commemorate the victory of the indigenes over slave raiders led by ‘Babatu’ in the 18th century, and to celebrate good harvest.

War dancers from different villages in the region perform on stage. They are armed with bows and arrows, short axes, shields and spears to relive scenes from wars from the previous years. There are also scenes of resistance and how  Babatu was defeated.

Babatu was the Zarma military leader and jihadi warlord over the Zabarma Emirate in the late 19th century. Babatu originated in Indougou (N’Dougou) in what is today the nation of Niger. Babatu became the ruler of the Zabarima emirate in 1878 after the death of the former ruler, Gazari. He was a slaver and fought against Sandema warriors.

The festival has become very significant in the area of  Builsa in current times. It is claimed to have given a true sense of identity and solidarity to the builsa tribe.

This year’s festival, under the Theme : “PEACE, A NECESSARY TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT” comes off on 21ST DECEMBER, 2024 at 10AM at SANDEMA