Male members of the Wodhaabhe tribe dress in colourful feathers and facepaint to attract the picky tribeswomen. Photo: Stephen Fenech

A Maltese-Canadian adventurer has produced an award-winning documentary about the unique encounter between a nomadic tribe and Muslim militia.

Toronto-based teleshopping director Stephen Fenech said he had no idea that his expedition to the Sahel region of central Chad would lead to a whole new type of camera work.

“I was travelling with no ulterior motives other than to see the area, but what I saw was so remarkable that I couldn’t let it go unrecorded. The result was the documentary,” he said.

Chad Exodus, a 15-minute docu-drama, relives the unique encounter between a group of women from the Wodhaabhe tribe and Muslim militia during the region’s annual Gerewol festival.

Known as the festival of love, Gerewol is known for being among the last of a near extinct African tradition.

The week-long ceremony brings several clans together in a chance for tribeswomen to pick a few lucky men for a fleeting night of unbridled romance.

The idea behind the festival is to increase ties between neighbouring communities.

During the ceremony, however, Mr Fenech noticed a pair of tribeswomen approach a group of men riding motorcycles.

The footage captures something truly unique, I’ll never forget it

“They must have thought they were Wodhaabhe men as they normally ride horses. They probably just wanted to talk with them,” he said.

The men, however, were not romance curious tribesmen but part of a wave of militia sweeping central Africa.

“These groups have been moving further south from the Mediterranean coast for years. Muslims are moving into pagan areas and forcing their lifestyles onto them. This invariably leads to them claiming their land,” Mr Fenech, 45, said.

A similar influx of religious prospectors had played a central role in the Tuareg Revolution in western Mali last year. The revolution, partly led by Islamist group Ansar Dine, led to the ousting of Malian president Amadou Toumani Touré.

Luckily for the two women their misunderstanding ended amicably. It also offered Mr Fenech a unique glimpse into what was likely one of the first encounters between the Wodhaabhe and Muslim settlers.

The short film was screened at the Toronto Inde Film Festival and won the viewers’ choice award at the Malta Short Film Festival.

Mr Fenech now has high hopes for the film having entered it into the Sundance and Cannes film festivals.

“The film has been submitted. Now we’ll just have to see what comes of it. The footage captures something truly unique, I’ll never forget it,” Mr Fenech said.