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West Africa, Malta and the Balkans in 1999
NIGER
Bec2004-09-18 20:10:33
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Gaya
Finally here is the majestic Niger River flowing 4200 km from its source in Guinea, through Mali and Niger to its delta on the Atlantic coast of Nigeria. Most of the lands it traverses are now semi-arid and in the process of becoming deserts like the Sahara. It is difficult to imagine that the Sahara was covered with forests and inhabited by hunters and herders 6000 years ago .
Niamey
The people of south-western Niger where the capital is located are mostly proud descendants of the Songhai Empire based in nearby Gao whose hegemony lasted the 14th century to the 16th.
This is Niamey's huge "Grand marché" which was completely rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1980.
This modern Gaweye Hotel and other fine buildings in the city center were built in the 1970s when the countries uranium mines brought hopes of prosperity.
In those happy days the Gaweye's pool was occupied by businessmen seeking relief from the heat and by affluent tourists on their way to colourful Agadez and the beautiful Aďr-Azawad region.
Unfortunately uranium prices crashed in the '80s and the tourist industry has not yet recovered from the 1992 Tuareg rebellion even though that is now over. Consequently, the average annual economic growth has been of only 1.7% from 1985 to 1995, exactly half of the annual rate of growth of the population of 3.4 % during the same period.
The white buildings in this view taken from the top of the Gaweye Hotel, house the National Museum which is worth a visit. I can't remember what the big building in the background was.
The country has severe economic difficulties but I rank Niamey as one of the most pleasant places I have visited in West Africa because of its people and more particularly my fiends Ibrah and Wacho.
It was past midnight when I arrived here from Parakou. I took a chance and
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See photographs from:
Niger Gallery
