This post explains the culture of Niger people which includes their language and the religion, it further discusses the cultural heritage and heritage sites of Niger.
Culture
The people of Niger are rich, rich in pride, culture and traditions, rich in their ability to survive together the periodic challenges to which nature exposes them.
The culture of Niger is marked by variation, evidence of the cultural crossroads which French colonialism formed into a unified state from the beginning of the 20th century. What is now Niger was created from four distinct cultural areas in the pre-colonial era: the Djerma dominated Niger River valley in the southwest; the northern periphery of Hausa land, made mostly of those states which had resisted the Sokoto Caliphate, and ranged along the long southern border with Nigeria; the Lake Chad basin and Kaouar in the far east, populated by Kanuri farmers and Toubou pastoralists who had once been part of the Kanem-Bornu Empire; and the Tuareg nomads of the Air Mountains and Saharan desert in the vast north. Each of these communities, along with smaller ethnic groups like the pastoral Wodaabe Fula, brought their own cultural traditions to the new state of Niger.
Read:CULTURAL HERITAGE OF IVORY COAST
Religion
Islam is the dominant religion in Niger, and is practiced by more than 99% of the population.[2] Approximately 95% of Muslims are Sunni; 5% are Shi’a.[2] There are small Christian, Baháʼí, and Animist communities, the first largely a remnant of French colonial influence. Animist beliefs include both animist based festivals and traditions (such as the Bori cult), practiced by some syncretic Muslim communities, as opposed to several small communities who maintain their pre-Islamic religion. These include the Hausa speaking Maouri/Azna community in Dogondoutci in the south-southwest, the Kanuri speaking Manga near Zinder, and some tiny Boudouma and Songhay communities in the southwest.
Languages
While French has been the cross cultural language of choice since independence, there are eight other official languages spoken in Niger, which include Hausa, Zarma/Songhai, Tamajeq, Fulfulde, Kanuri, Arabic, Gurmantche, and Toubou. Hausa, which almost half the populations speak, has come to rival French as most used across communities.
CULTURAL HERITAGE
Cultural heritage can be defined as the legacy of physical artifacts (cultural property) and intangible attributes of a group or society inherited from the past.
Niamey and its surroundings
Until the colonial period, Niamey was a small village but, from 1902, the French established a colonial post there. In 1926 the colonial administration was transferred from Zinder, and Niamey became the capital of Niger. The population gradually increased at the rate of droughts and migrations, from about 3,000 in 1930 to around 30,000 in 1960 up to the present 1.3 million inhabitants. Some buildings are characteristic of Niamey: the Presidency, the Parliament, the National Museum, the Great Mosque, the Stade Général Seyni Kountché, the Hotel Gaweye and the Palais des Congress, some of the Ministries and, in particular, the Ministry of Mines. Today, Niamey is an evolving city: new neighborhoods are developing, major road infrastructure, luxury hotels, as well as the third bridge over the Niger River are being built, and the Diori Hamani International Airport is under total renovation.
National Museum
Musée National Boubou Hama was founded on December 18th, 1959 as the National Museum of Niger. The concept is to present ethnological, archaeological, and cultural artifacts of different Nigerien cultures in its many pavilions located in a park with a cultural and a scientific section as well as a zoo. The Museum also boasts a section with a permanent exhibition of traditional art objects with artisans at work (weavers, leatherworkers, and blacksmiths).
Markets and art craft centers
Niamey has many markets. One of the West Africa’s best and most diverse is the Grand Marché; however the Albarka Market, the Yantala Market or the Nouveau Marché and the Wadata Market could also be mentioned. Next to the Wadata Market is the Wadata Artisanal Village which, like the Musée National, maintains a good exhibition of national art and craft.
The Giraffes of Kouré
Located 60 km South-east of Niamey, the Kouré area offers the opportunity to observe the last species of giraffes from West Africa (Giraffa Camelopardalis peralta). Conservation efforts since the 1990s have led to a sizable growth in population and a reintroduction programme to the Gadabeji Reserve in central Niger, being carried out for an initial group of 10 giraffes.
The W National Park
The W National Park of Niger is part of a cross-border complex covering nearly one million hectares jointly managed by Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso and protected since 2007 by the Ramsar Convention. It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996.
There are three accommodation possibilities in connection with the W Park:
- The Hotel de la Tapoa, located at the entrance of the Park (http://hotel-tapoa.com);
- L’Ecolodge du Lamentin located on an island in the middle of the river (http: //www.iledulamantin. com);
- The Savana Lodge also located on the river.
Valley of the Niger River
The Niger River is “the” West African river with a total length of about 4200 km. Even if only about 550 km is in Niger, the Niger River plays a crucial role in the development of the country. The river is simultaneously a source of water for men and animals, for irrigated agriculture including rice fields and vegetable gardens; and for fishery. It’s a corridor of development, communication and exchange. The Niger River is also the habitat to a very diverse wildlife.
Ayourou
Ayorou is a small market town on the Niger River. Located on the border of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, it enjoys a dynamic cross-border activity. It is a meeting place of different cultures easily identifiable by their clothing.
The hippopotamus
Niger has recorded about 350 hippos, but they are threatened by the difficult cohabitation with the local population, who fear, destruction of their fields and accidents on the river. The government is developing a protected area with a three-fold mission: to preserve hippopotamuses, facilitate scientific research and reduce tensions in cohabitation with locals.
