Ferhat Bouda: In the privacy of the Tuareg of Niger via agence vu: “Between Sahara and Sa
Ferhat Bouda: In the privacy of the Tuareg of Niger via agence vu: “Between Sahara and Sahel, in the surroundings of the cities of Agadez and Abalak, in the center of Niger, live some Tuareg tribes who have chosen to resist the use of new technologies, and cultural assimilation. They are still semi-nomadic, but only move their camps twice a year and a few kilometers away, depending on the rise of the water in winter.”“Livestock farming is their main source of income. However, since the 1960’s, many men have left the villages to work in the city in order to help their families.“Women, very proud, are the pillars of the tribes. Refusing polygamy, yet widespread in the area, they are the ones to choose their husbands and, at the slightest argument, it is the man who must leave the house and leave the children and livestock to the woman. In many ways, it appears to be a matriarchal society, but in reality the decision-making remains the privilege of men.“More than geographical, the isolation of the Tuareg is essentially political. This is the main reason why their existence is threatened, and it causes rebellions. If the Tuareg (11% of the population of Niger) claim their own State, it is mainly in order to claim their existence. This people was not taken into account at the time of the arbitrary division of Africa between colonizer countries and then at the time of decolonization, not only regarding the distribution of the land, but also when it comes to the notion of border, which is irrelevant to them. Officially, they are not allowed to move. As a result, very few measures are in place to preserve and perpetuate their culture. The few projects initiated by governments are never completed and are often nothing more than demagoguery aimed to silence demands and satisfy international opinion. Although some decisions make it to the Constitutions, nothing concrete is ever done. -- source link
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