Niergui Wodaabe refugees
Not far from Mongo and the Zakouma National Park in Chad, the Peuls Wodaabe de Niergui camp for Central African refugees has been located since 2016, where more than 200 Central Africans live in misery and hunger.
Escaping violence and losing their identity
Formerly nomadic pastoralists, these Wodaabe families belonging to the Mandjario lineage lost all their livestock in the third civil war in CAR, leaving them without means of subsistence and forcing them to flee and settle as refugees in the Niergui camp in central Chad.
The Central African conflict and the exodus have deprived them of the greatest wealth a Wodaabe can have: their livestock and thus their free and nomadic way of life.
Today, this family of Wodaabe Mandjario refugees lives on charity and cooperation projects of different NGOs, among which the Guera Touristique Association of our great friend Hassane Abdoulaye stands out.
The Wodaabe of Chad
A nomadic and pastoralist people, the Wodaabe-Fulani are a minority in most of the countries they cross.
Two great lineages of Wodaabe nomads roam the vast open landscapes of Chad: the Njaptoen and the Soudousukaia.
In the rainy season, these two large lineages concentrate in the Chari Baguirmi region, not far from the capital N’Djamena. It is there that they remain grazing until early to mid-October when they disperse again in central and southern Chad. It is precisely at this time, close to the farewells, that the great Chadian Gerewol takes place, uniting the two great nomadic Wodaabe lineages of Chad in a great celebration.
From October onwards, these two great clans will go their separate ways until next year.
Refugee photographers Wodaabe de Niergui
Through the beautiful project REFUGEE PHOTOGRAPHERS by Hassan Abdoulaye and Mathias Monet, the refugees of Niergui camp tell their story through the lens of their cameras with more than 380 images. You can learn more about this project and collaborate with it if you wish on their website: https://www.helloasso.com/…/refugies-photographes…
Gerewol Wodaabe of Chad
The Gerewol Wodaabe festival is a celebration that takes place every year in Chad. In it, the two great nomadic Bororo lineages come together to meet and find a partner. If you want to know more about this impressive beauty festival we invite you to discover it through our blog: GEREWOL DE CHAD
Kumakonda, expert agency in Chad, takes you to experience one of the biggest celebrations taking place in this part of Africa.