AP PHOTOS: In Gambia, Kankurang initiation rite teaches boys

BAKAU, Gambia -- Sharp sounds of clanking machetes cut the air as a warning that the Kankurang is coming.

Fearful children nearby run inside their homes as the scary figure approaches, grunting. Others, more curious, risk a closer look at the man dressed to represent the spiritual figure.

The traditional Kankurang wears a mask made of bark and his body is covered in leaves and red fiber from the faara tree. Other Kangkurangs with him wear colorful outfits with masks of cowrie shells.

The Kankurangs are followed by a small procession of teenagers and young men who are accompanying four young boys nearing the end of a month-long initiation rite, which is practiced by the Mandinka ethnic groups in Gambia and neighboring Senegal.