The race to cover a Mali mosque in mud

Every year for one day a whole town of thousands gets together to cover this massive mosque in Mali in mud as Alex Duval Smith & Nadia Zephinie report.

There has been a mosque on this site Djenne since the 13 Century. The current structure is the largest earthen building in the world. People manage to get to the top to slap on mud.

They do so by using these ladders made of timber and rope. The erosion is caused by the rain and cracks are caused by changes in temperature and humidity.

Even though thousands of people took part in applying the mud, no serious injuries were recorded.

Teams compete to finish first. "There is no prize but the honour lasts all year. You gain respect," says 15-year-old Abdoulaye Sahampo.

Teenagers pass up their baskets of mud to teams of masons who slap it on the walls.

The younger children scrape the mud from the river bed. Mason Limbo Bocoum chants the names of their favourite food. He says they work better if they are looking forward to a good meal.

It is the one day of the year where children can get as muddy as they like and their mothers will not complain.

Master mason Boubacar Kouroumansse noticed more people bringing Malian flags this year. He suggests people want to demonstrate their attachment to their country at a time of violence.

By 08:00 it is already more than 30C in Djenne and the render that was pasted on the front of the mosque at 05:00 is almost dry.