“You see those tiny rocks there? Those used to be plants,” said Dr. Paul Adderley, a soil scientist who was giving me a tour of Gobero, a 10,000 year old world in the middle of Niger’s Sahara desert. We were standing on a low ridge looking across the barren earth stretching far beyond the horizon. AsContinue reading “Time Traveling to a Green Sahara”
Tag Archives: Niger
Pagne
Pagne has been one of my favorite things about living in Niger. Not a day goes by when you don’t see this colorful, whimsical cloth. Almost every market in Niamey has a pagne section where people go to buy their favorite motifs.They take the cloth to tailors who fashion shirts, dresses, pants, and skirts toContinue reading “Pagne”
Nigerien Coolers
(Photo Credit: Dad) Traditionally, Nigeriens use a large, ceramic jar called a “Kanari” for storing water. These hand-painted jars keep well water cool. A round, woven mat balanced across the jar’s opening keeps out bugs and lizards. In some homes, you will see a kanari or two half-buried in the ground for insulation. The ownersContinue reading “Nigerien Coolers”
Boubon Market
(Photo Credit: Dad) Boubon, a small village on the banks of the Niger River, comes to life every Wednesday as peddlers and customers come together under the shade of woven mat canopies. People arrive in shallow wooden boats, called pirogues, which are piled with sacks of grain, plastic buckets, pumpkins, and cages full of guineaContinue reading “Boubon Market”
Drawing Water
Even though we did not speak the same language, the village women made it clear that they wanted me to experience hauling the water bucket from the bottom of the 118 meter well. I stepped up to the edge of the gaping hole surrounded by four hefty wooden logs. Each one was deeply grooved inContinue reading “Drawing Water”
Grasshoppers for Dinner
Niger is full of grasshoppers. My friend’s son enjoys catching them just to show he can. Some villagers outside of Niamey gather the insects in the early morning when the grasshoppers can’t move too quickly. At home, they boil them, dry them in the sun, and then bring them to Niamey’s Katako market. Sautéed grasshopperContinue reading “Grasshoppers for Dinner”
Salt Caravan
While driving east out of Agadez one November day, we came across some Tuareg traders setting out on their annual trek across the Sahara to the small town of Fachi. A small handful of men undertake the arduous 29 day journey with camel herds reaching into the hundreds. Loaded on the backs of the camelsContinue reading “Salt Caravan”
The Edge of the Tenere
I will never forget sleeping under a desert sky full of crystalline stars. As I lay on my blanket arranged on the sand, the only sound I heard was an occasional breath of wind. The vastness of the empty space made me feel incredibly small. The silence amplified the size of the Earth and theContinue reading “The Edge of the Tenere”
Tuareg Dating
At the annual Cure Salée in July, the Tuareg and Wodaabe gather at In-Gall near Agadez for a month of camel racing and speed dating before the nomadic groups splinter off again into the dusty expanses of the Sahara and Sahel. One evening, the Tuareg gathered for the “dating wheel” in an empty expanse nearContinue reading “Tuareg Dating”
Land Nomads
Traveling near Agadez in July brings you across many caravans of people moving their cattle, sheep, goat, and camel herds across the greening desert. The herders take advantage of the shallow lakes produced by the seasonal rains that fall from April to August. Both people and animals congregate around the watering holes to quench theirContinue reading “Land Nomads”
106 Meters from the Road 