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West Africa, Malta and the Balkans in 1999

NIGER

Bec
2004-09-18 20:10:33

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two donkey driven carts were also taken in the same area. It seems that all this fodder will be delivered to suburb residents who like to fatten a sheep or two for their own consumption. It makes sense, it eases the change from village life to city life and at least they know what they're eating!

After more than a week in Niamey, I went north toward Gao in Mali.

Countryside
Apart from being centered on the Mosque, the Church or the Shaman's Temple, village life is similar from one place to the next in the Sahel but the architecture changes, here, north of Niamey, living quarters are square and granaries are round.

Ayorou
I made a point of getting here on Saturday to see Ayorou's famous Sunday livestock market. The Amenokal Hotel was the best place in town but the price was very reasonable at only 9.00$US a night for a comfortable air conditioned unit.

People flock to this famous market from far and wide. Some come overland the but most used the convenient river. Herds of cattle swim across the Niger and their arrival on this side is an event to watch.

The market is known as a cattle market but all kinds of products are sold here by all kinds of people. It is a good idea to hire a local youth who can explain what is going on and point out the various tribes by their distinctive dress and behavior.

According to my "guide" Ibrahim, the virtues and defects of these sheep are being discussed at length in in the process of agreeing on the price for the lot.

Legally, these Bella women, in their traditional embroidered dresses, can no longer be owned as slaves by some Tuareg master for slavery is now illegal in Niger. In practice however, many Bella choose to remain subservient to their traditional Tuareg masters who generally take good care of them.

The Ayorou market specializes in livestock but, as previously mentioned, all kinds of products and services are available here as evidenced by a by this sign publicizing the various ailments treated by the "guerisseur" Idissa Safari Cove!

Everyone was shopping and haggling to buy or sell something in this market, including myself for I was buyer of transportation to Gao in Mali some 200 km north of here. It turned out to be a pretty complicated business. There were a lot vehicles around but not many going north where the bad roads required four-wheel-drives.

Shopping for ride was complicated by my guide who was steering me to those drivers who would give him a commission and telling me that the others were leaving the next day or the day after that. Finally I dismissed him, took the matter in my own hands and made a deal for the front seat of the blue 4x4 in the photo. I made the deal not with driver but with a merchant who had apparently "chartered" the 4 by 4 and was now selling passages to who recover his costs. We loaded 12 huge bags of flour and 15 passengers in the back along with all their baggage. I paid 10,000 CFA (18 $US), to share the front seat with a woman and her baby all the way to Gao.

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