Guinea-Bissau

 Culture

The Bissau carnival is a feast of carved masks and coloured costumes, but during the rest of the year these are not prevalent on the mainland. The traditions are instead kept alive by the Bjango people on the islands. Seated statues of the spirit Iran, complete with jaunty top hat, witness agricultural and initiation rituals. Masks representing sharks, sawfish, hippos and bulls with real horns (the Dugn'be) are used. The hippo mask is so big, it has carved legs to hold it up.

Traditional dance and music are heavily influenced by neighbouring Senegal and Gambia. Women move frenetically to the sound of the harp-like kora and the xylophone-like balafon. Modern music mixes these roots with a Latin twist from its Portuguese heritage, and salsa is a big thing.

About 40% of Guinea-Bissau's people (mainly Fula and Mandinka) are Muslims; they are concentrated more upcountry than along the coast. Except for a few Christians in the towns, the rest follow traditional beliefs.

The official language of Guinea-Bissau is Portuguese but Crioulo, a hybrid of medieval Portuguese and local words, is more commonly spoken. French is understood in the more touristy areas.

Bissau has a number of smart seafood restaurants and smaller patisseries. Street food is harder to find, but elusive bread stalls do exist. Meat dishes in rural areas often contain monkey (macao) so check if you don't fancy chewing chimp (alternatives include goat, beef or vegetables). Imported soft drinks and beers abound and if you want to try local brew there's palm wine, caña (60%-proof rum) and caña de cajeu (cashew rum made from the fruit of the cashew nut): hangover cures essential