Niger
A refreshing dip at an In-Gall watering hole gives both camels and boys a chance to cool down in the intense desert heat. Watering holes—places to water and refresh animals and to trade goods and gossip with other travelers—are a lifeline for the nomadic and semi-nomadic people who herd goats, sheep, and camels in the Sahara Desert and across the Sahel.
In-Gall is an oasis town in the Agadez region of central Niger, and an important site for annual gatherings and festivals celebrated by the Tuareg and other nomadic peoples.
Molly Byrne © 2014
PCV Guinea 2005–2007
Madagascar 2007–2008 Small Enterprise Development
Republic of Niger
République du Niger
Western Africa
Area 502K mi2; 1.3M km2
Arable 12%
Population 23.6M (47/mi²; 18/km²)
Gov’t Semi-Presidential republic
Capital Niamey (1.3M)
GCP/capita $1,225
Unemployment <1%
In poverty 45%
Infant Mortality 68/1K live births (4th)
Life expectancy 60 yrs
Children Aged <15 Yrs 51% of pop
Median Age 15 yrs
Literacy 19%
Languages French (official), Hausa, Djerma
Religions Muslim 99%, Christian <1%, animist <1%, none <1%
Health 7% of GDP
Education 4% of GDP (118th)
Military 2% of GDP (67th)
Labor Force Agriculture 79%, industry 3%, services 18%
PCVs 1962-2011 CURRENT: 0 TTD: 3,174
Adult Books
By Kathleen Hill
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: TriQuarterly Books (2002; 1st edition: 1999)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8101-5134-5
A New York Times Notable Book for 1999
Best Fiction of 1999, the Los Angeles Times Book Review
Finalist for the Dublin IMPAC Literary Award (1998)
Summary:
The American narrator of this semi-autobiographical novel once lived with her young family in Niger, where her husband was doing academic research in Zinder. Years later, she returns there to visit a daughter, now grown and working at a clinic in the small provincial town of Matameye. Sharing her daughter’s daily routine of medical rounds and time spent with women friends, she pieces together memories of her life two decades before in nearby Zinder and gradually gains a new, deeper understanding of the country’s people and their place in the harsh landscape of the Sahel.
“Although modest in plot, it is abundant in understanding.” (Los Angeles Times)
“A beautiful book, with great lyric power and emotional resonance. In combining her passion for her daughter with her passion for experience and to know the world, Kathleen Hill makes a great contribution to our store of information about how women live. I am full of admiration for this small miracle.” (Mary Gordon, novelist, memoirist, critic)
“… a novel of fine social and cross-cultural observation.” (Robert Coles, child psychiatrist, author)
Kids' Books
By Barbara A. Somervill
Format: Library edition, 144 pp.
ISBN-10: 053121883X
ISBN-13: 978-0531218839
Age Range: 10-14 years
Publisher: Scholastic / Children’s Press, 2016
Summary:
Bordering seven other countries, Niger is a landlocked nation in the heart of western Africa. Due to economic troubles, frequent civil wars and disruption of the government, and other problems, poverty is a major issue throughout the country. Nevertheless, Niger is a land of rich history and vibrant culture. Readers will find out what life is like for the people of Niger, from what they learn in school and what people do for work to what they like to eat and what kind of art they create.
Films
Film: Rain the Color of Blue with A Little Red in It (Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai)
Also Known As: Rain the Color of Blue with a Little Red in It
Director:
Country: Niger
Filming Locations: Agadez, Niger
Release Date: 29 January 2015 (USA)
Language: Tamashek
Run Time: 75 minutes
Summary: “A revolutionary story of guitars, motorcycles, cell phones, and the music of a new generation:…”
Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai (in English: Rain the Color of Blue with A Little Red In It) is a 2015 Niger drama musical film directed by Christopher Kirkley and co–produced by Sahel Sounds, L'Improbable and Tenere Films. It is the world's first Tuareg-language fiction film. The film is based on the real life incidents of famous musician Mdou Moctar.
The film has shot at Agadez, Niger. The film received positive reviews and won several awards at international film festivals. It is a homage to Prince’s 1984 rock drama Purple Rain.
Music
Etran Finatawa is a Niger-based band, formed in 2004 during the Festival au Désert near Timbuktu, Mali. Niger is a region that for thousands of years has served as a crossroads between the Arabs of North Africa and sub-Saharan traditional peoples, and Etran Finatawa blends the traditional music of the rich nomadic cultures of the Wodaabe and Tuareg peoples with such western instruments as the electric guitar.
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Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Wisconsin-Madison is a public charity registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States. Its EIN is 39-1669348. It is also an affiliate group of the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA).
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