Introduction

Niger is a developing country located directly to the west of Chad and directly east of Mali. Niger’s landscape is dominated by the Sahara Desert, which covers eighty percent of the country. As a result of the location of the Sahara Desert, most of Niger’s population is located in the south and the west. The capital of Niger is Niamey which is located in the southwest region. The majority of the 22 million people living in Niger practice Islam. Niger ranks near the bottom in almost every category in the United Nations’ Human Development Index. There has been no improvement in the condition of Niger in the last few decades. In 2010, the nation did develop a multi-party democracy, which can be considered a step in the right direction. In the last fifty years, Niger has had seven different republics rule the nation. President Mahamadou Issoufou is the current leader of the democracy. He was elected in 2010 and was re-elected in 2016. Niger is currently facing many conflicts stemming from its neighboring countries. Conflicts from Libya, Northern Mali, and Nigeria have all recently spilled over into Niger. Niger is currently receiving military help from France and the United States. The country’s economy is fueled by agriculture and raw minerals. French is the main language in Niger. Due to its long-standing alliance with France, Niger’s culture is heavily influenced by French traditions.

Art

Modern Nigerien art is heavily influenced by European art styles. When the Europeans came to Niger, they disapproved of the traditional Nigerien art and taught the indigenous people their style of art. The European arts were accepted by the Nigeriens which is evident in the painting shown. Today, collectors consider Niger to be a great source of contemporary art. Niger is home to many respected artists such as El Anatsui, Nike Okundaiye, Ben Enwonwu, and Nnnenna Okore (TheGuardian). Nigerien art is not globally admired outside of collectors due to the lack of art infrastructure and national programs. Nigerien artists have been taking strides to get their art into the global spotlight. A West African art fair, Art X Lagos, was started in 2016 to bring awareness to the underappreciated artists of Africa. Fairs such as Art X Lagos have brought some attention to the national arts and the value of these works have slowly risen in recent years. Even with some recent success on a global scale, Nigerien arts still face major issues. The biggest issue is that a few artists dominate the global attention. There are great talents that are ignored by collectors because they are not one of the elite Nigerien artists. If Niger can build on the recent strides that were made, it can become a well-respected hotbed for contemporary art.

Religion

Religion in Niger is dominated by Islam. Nearly ninety nine percent of Nigeriens practice Islam. Niger has the greatest percentage on Muslims in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ninety five percent of the Muslims in Niger are Sunni Muslims. Islam in Niger does have some influences form traditional Nigerien religions. Most Nigerien Muslims incorporate elements of sharia, Sufi mysticism, and customary religious rites. The French were not able to convert the Islamic people of Niger after colonization, but they did have an impact on the religion of the country. The Nigerien government accepted the French tradition of the state having authority over religious institutions. A sect of Islam, Tidjaniya, is predominant in Nigerien Islam. Tidjaniya is a traditional sect of Sufi Muslims that saints, relics, and the authority of chiefs. Tidjaniya is the popular religion among the governmental elite in Niger (globalsecurity.org).

Food

Nigerien food is fairly simple in nature. Most dishes consist of millet, rice, or niebe which is a type of bean. Nigerien dishes tend to focus more on being filling than flavorful. This is likely due to the economic conditions of the country. The flavor that does exist in the dishes primarily comes from the meats and vegetables. Saffron, nutmeg, and cinnamon are the spices most commonly used in Nigerien cuisine. There are popular dishes that are influenced by French cuisine from the 19^th century colonization. One of the most popular Nigerien dishes is shinkafa. Shinkafa is tightly packed balls of rice with meat and vegetable stew. Alcohol is not prevalent in Niger because of Muslim beliefs. For those that do drink, the legal drinking age is eighteen years old. Tipping is encouraged in Nigerien culture, usually around ten percent (worldtravelguide.net). Nigerien Muslim families hold large specialty meals on important Islamic holidays. At these meals, an animal is slaughtered and cooked for the whole family to share. However, the family does not sit together to eat the meal. The men, women, and children all eat in their own separate rooms. A liquid grain beverage comparable to beer is shared at the feast. Eghajira, a special beverage consisting of millet, dates, water, and goat cheese, is also served using expensive wooden ladles (everyculture.com).

Marriage

Marriages in Niger are almost exclusively arranged by the couple’s parents. Nigerien marriages are a little different than most arranged marriage countries because the marriages are not “forced”. That means that the individuals getting married can chose to veto the marriage if they do not want their partner. However, the individuals cannot choose their partner if they veto the first arranged partner. The parents choose another spouse until the individual accepts a marriage. Until recently, families preferred to marry cousins in order to keep families tightly-knit, but that traditional has slowly faded out of Nigerien culture. According to Islam law, men can have as many as four wives at one time. Most polygamous marriages occur in towns as the men who live in rural areas usually do not have the financial means to support more than one spouse. Divorces and remarriages are allowed, but they are not encouraged (everyculture.com).

Family

Nigerien families live in a compound. A compound in Niger is considered a building that has a high wall or fence surrounding the main structure. Urban compounds tend to be larger and only include the husband, wives, and children. Rural compounds are smaller in nature and tend to include more that just the parents and children. Compounds in urban areas do house multiple families since they are larger. Also in urban areas, couples try to live as far from their kin as possible, as opposed to rural areas where families live together in a small proximity.

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