African Encounter

                                          AFRICAN ENCOUNTER Overland Safari Blog January – May 1973 Part Twelve - From  Niger through Algeria Introduction The last instalment of this Blog left us sleepng under the Stars in the Republic of Niger in the Sahara Desert, fairly well away from what we would think of as civilisation, but strangely, not that far, witness the Satellites that could be clearly seen passing in their orbits, were they watching us?. There are not many photographs of Algeria for the simple reason that we did not spend long in the country and were on the move most of the time - to  find out more, read on!   Signs of a more prosperous population as we approached the town of Tamanrasset Algeria and its neighbouring countries  Our route took us north from In Guezzam on the Border with Niger, to Tamanrasset then East t...

  AFRICAN ENCOUNTER Overland Safari Blog January – May 1973 Part Eleven - Into  Niger We're watching you - Toureg Camel Riders observe as we have Breakfast, (after playing Football),  in what looks like the only shade for miles.  - I wonder what they had for breakfast, Background to Niger The country takes its name from the Niger River, which flows through the southwestern part of its territory.   The name Niger derives in turn from the phrase gher n-gheren, meaning “river among rivers,” in the Tamashek languag e. Why are Niger and Nigeria separate? The expansion of French and British imperialism in the period 1890–1905 demarcated the line which would become the modern Niger – Nigeria border . During colonial rule, the French and English languages were implanted on each side of the border, along with cultural, educational and political traditions. Among her nicknames are “Frying pan of the World,”a rererence to how hot the weather in Niger can get. ...

  AFRICAN ENCOUNTER Overland Safari Blog January – May 1973 Part Ten - Into  Nigeria and out into Niger The First Railway we had seen in days - Kano Nigeria - We entered top right before Bama and left immediately north of Kano.  Nigeria and its neighbouring countries Where Nigeria sits in the African Continent , it is interesting to reflect how the borders of each country were defined.                                                              April 12 1973 We left Cameroon, with some regret, after only four days - as it had been a rather  uplifting encounter, and crossed the border into Nigeria. I imagine that we all thought that we knew something about Nigeria as it had been in the news for some long time. How wrong could we have been.  It seems that the area now known as...

  AFRICAN ENCOUNTER Overland Safari Blog January – May 1973 Part Nine - Cameroon We are getting into more prosperous territory -  note the buildings the bicycles and the outfit and the upright posture!  Cameroon - We entered after Bangui and left between Maiduguri and Kano    Where Cameroon sits in West Africa  - between the Sea and the Desert Some Backgound on Cameroon    Early inhabitants of the territory included the  Sao civilisation  around Lake Chad , and the  Baka  hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest.  Portuguese explorers  reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area  Rio dos Camarões  ( Shrimp River ), which became  Cameroon  in English. Fulani soldiers founded the Adamawa Emirate in the north in the 19th century, and various ethnic groups of the west and northwest established powerful chiefdoms and fondoms. Cameroon became a German colony in 1...