Mekan people

The Mekan or Me'en are a Surmic ethnic minority group inhabiting southwestern Ethiopia. The 1998 census lists them as consisting of 56,585 individuals. In Ethiopia, ethnic communities speaking Nilo-Saharan languages are referred to as "Nilotic", but this is not exactly the same meaning as the Nilotic language family. The Mekan traditionally participate in a unique festival known as Ka'el, during which the Mekan women sexualize the process of Mekan men gaining weight, and assist and encourage them in becoming as fat as possible. Mekan women will often select partners during this festival, typically from among the men they assisted in becoming larger.

The Mekan or Me'en speak the Me'en language, which is a member of the Surmic language family. The population is subdivided into two groups: the highland Tishena, who are agriculturalists, and the lowland Bodi, who are pastoralists.

Ka'el Festival
In 2020, photographer Joey Lawrence (photographer) traveled to a village in Southern Ethiopia's Omo Valley to photograph the Kael competitors and make a behind the scenes documentary.

• 2021 winners: Oypocha and Gontidi