The bare-chested young men emerged from a forest ceremony in northern Togo chanting war songs, ready for the initiation tradition of "Evala" in which they wrestle to become men.
Every mid-July, thousands of ethnic Kabye men aged 18 to 20 take part in the ancestral rite of passage in the west African nation's Kara region, hundreds of kilometres (miles) from the capital, Lome.
And authorities hope it will soon be recognised by UNESCO as part of Togo's cultural heritage.
Ahead of wrestling, the participating "Evalo", as the young men are called, must sport three small scars near each ear, made using blades.
The next rite requires they dance with a dog until it dies of exhaustion.
