Cure Salee
Encyclopedia
The Cure Salee, or "Festival of the Nomads" is a yearly gathering of the Tuareg and Wodaabe
peoples in the northern Niger
town of Ingall. Cure Salée (French: "Salt Cure") marks the end of the rainy season, and usually occurs in the last two weeks of September. The government of Niger began sponsoring the festival in the 1990s, fixing its date for each year (in 2006: September 11), its duration (three days), and bringing in dignitaries, performers, and tourists.
But the Cure Salée is as just as important as a social gathering. After a season in dispersed clan groups, there's the chance to share news, trade, and renew friendships both within and across ethnic lines.
For Tuareg and Wodaabe
peoples, Salée Cure marks the time of traditional courtship and marriage. The most famous images of the Cure Sale are Wodaabe
tradition of Gerewol, in which young men vie for the attention of women seeking husbands. Organized dances and tests of skill culminate in men donning traditional costume, headdress, and elaborate makeup.
Amongst the Tuareg peoples, women seek for the attention of marriageable men, while men of all ages show off their skills as riders, artists, dancers, musicians and craftsmen. A great parade of Tuareg camel riders opens the festival, which continues with races, songs, dances, and storytelling. While the official festival is limited to three days, the festivities can last for weeks while nomadic groups remain in the area.
) against the central government, from 1990-1995, InGall was a prime fortification of the Niger armed forces, and no official Cure Salee was held. In September 2000, a "Flamme du Paix" ceremonial 'Burning of Weapons' by the rebel and government forces in Agadez forced the first Cure Salée following the final peace deals to be hastily rescheduled.
On September 17, 2001, a much publicized Tuareg memorial was held for the victims of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
In recent years, the Niger government has tried to promote the Cure Salée, creating a tourist festival (sponsored by large international corporations like Coca-Cola
) for western visitors, and using the cross-ethnic traditions of the Cure Salée to foster "a celebration of social cohesion in Niger". This aspect has come to the fore following 2000. Official involvement also has brought a greater emphasis on culture common to the rest of Niger: electric pop bands, beauty contests, and the sometimes forced ending of other rituals. In 2005, armed Niger Army troops enforced a ban on a traditional dance that emulates self mutilation.
One Wodaabe
man was quoted by the AFP:
The [UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS], UNICEF, and the Niger
government have begun using Cure Salée to provide aid in stemming HIV infection, and as well as malaria, guinea worm, malnutrition and encourage the use of vaccines to control preventable diseases. Vaccines and treatment of livestock, many bound for more heavily populated southern Niger, have also been mandated by the government. The 2004-2006 drought and famine in much of Niger has also focused attention on food aid at the Cure Salée.
Wodaabe
The Wodaabe or Bororo are a small subgroup of the Fulani ethnic group. They are traditionally nomadic cattle-herders and traders in the Sahel, with migrations stretching from southern Niger, through northern Nigeria, northeastern Cameroon, and the western region of the Central African Republic....
peoples in the northern Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
town of Ingall. Cure Salée (French: "Salt Cure") marks the end of the rainy season, and usually occurs in the last two weeks of September. The government of Niger began sponsoring the festival in the 1990s, fixing its date for each year (in 2006: September 11), its duration (three days), and bringing in dignitaries, performers, and tourists.
Traditions
The end of the rainy season is an especially important event in the lives of Saharan pastoralists. Tuareg clans gather at the salt flats and pools near Ingall to refresh their cattle and goat herds, and to prepare for the trip further south so they can survive the dry season. The Salt Cure is also believed to benefit the local people, and medicinal cures are a major part of the festival.But the Cure Salée is as just as important as a social gathering. After a season in dispersed clan groups, there's the chance to share news, trade, and renew friendships both within and across ethnic lines.
For Tuareg and Wodaabe
Wodaabe
The Wodaabe or Bororo are a small subgroup of the Fulani ethnic group. They are traditionally nomadic cattle-herders and traders in the Sahel, with migrations stretching from southern Niger, through northern Nigeria, northeastern Cameroon, and the western region of the Central African Republic....
peoples, Salée Cure marks the time of traditional courtship and marriage. The most famous images of the Cure Sale are Wodaabe
Wodaabe
The Wodaabe or Bororo are a small subgroup of the Fulani ethnic group. They are traditionally nomadic cattle-herders and traders in the Sahel, with migrations stretching from southern Niger, through northern Nigeria, northeastern Cameroon, and the western region of the Central African Republic....
tradition of Gerewol, in which young men vie for the attention of women seeking husbands. Organized dances and tests of skill culminate in men donning traditional costume, headdress, and elaborate makeup.
Amongst the Tuareg peoples, women seek for the attention of marriageable men, while men of all ages show off their skills as riders, artists, dancers, musicians and craftsmen. A great parade of Tuareg camel riders opens the festival, which continues with races, songs, dances, and storytelling. While the official festival is limited to three days, the festivities can last for weeks while nomadic groups remain in the area.
Changes
While the Cure Salée has been taking place for several hundred years, independence from France in 1960 brought the involvement of the central government from Niamey, and the attempt to formalise it as a national festival and tourist attraction. During the last in a long line of Tuareg insurgencies (See: Tuareg RebellionTuareg Rebellion
The Tuareg Rebellion was an uprising by various Tuareg groups in Niger and Mali with the aim of achieving autonomy or forming their own nation-state. The insurgency occurred in a period following the regional famine of the 1980s and subsequent refugee crisis, and a time of generalised political...
) against the central government, from 1990-1995, InGall was a prime fortification of the Niger armed forces, and no official Cure Salee was held. In September 2000, a "Flamme du Paix" ceremonial 'Burning of Weapons' by the rebel and government forces in Agadez forced the first Cure Salée following the final peace deals to be hastily rescheduled.
On September 17, 2001, a much publicized Tuareg memorial was held for the victims of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
In recent years, the Niger government has tried to promote the Cure Salée, creating a tourist festival (sponsored by large international corporations like Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
) for western visitors, and using the cross-ethnic traditions of the Cure Salée to foster "a celebration of social cohesion in Niger". This aspect has come to the fore following 2000. Official involvement also has brought a greater emphasis on culture common to the rest of Niger: electric pop bands, beauty contests, and the sometimes forced ending of other rituals. In 2005, armed Niger Army troops enforced a ban on a traditional dance that emulates self mutilation.
One Wodaabe
Wodaabe
The Wodaabe or Bororo are a small subgroup of the Fulani ethnic group. They are traditionally nomadic cattle-herders and traders in the Sahel, with migrations stretching from southern Niger, through northern Nigeria, northeastern Cameroon, and the western region of the Central African Republic....
man was quoted by the AFP:
It is more and more of a circus. The government sets the date artificially, decides who gets to perform, and creates a structure none of us understand.
The [UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS], UNICEF, and the Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
government have begun using Cure Salée to provide aid in stemming HIV infection, and as well as malaria, guinea worm, malnutrition and encourage the use of vaccines to control preventable diseases. Vaccines and treatment of livestock, many bound for more heavily populated southern Niger, have also been mandated by the government. The 2004-2006 drought and famine in much of Niger has also focused attention on food aid at the Cure Salée.