Niger and "First Contacts"

The earliest people inhabiting Niger were farmers, but as desertification took hold of the region, the inhabitants became nomadic. In the 13^th century, the Tuareg ruled over northern Niger, and in the mid-1500s, a great African empire called the Songhai expanded into Niger. The first contact Niger had with Europe came in the 19^th century.[1] Early explorers were following the Niger River and came into contact with the region that is now known as Niger. Nearby Nigeria had already been colonized by the British, but different people groups in Niger resisted European rule.

Finally, in 1922, Niger was conquered by France and became a colony of the French empire.[2] The reason for this intrusion was two-fold: European powers were fighting for resources, but they were also fighting for capturing a larger empire than their competitors. This “race” to colonization caused many European powers to colonize regions for more than the exploitation of their natural resources. Niger was one of the last African regions to be colonized, but French control remained for quite some time, due to the resources Niger offered. As the race towards nuclear technology intensified during the period between WWI and WWII, the uranium reserves Niger possessed became valuable to the French.

Niger, besides being among the last to be colonized, was also one of the first to gain independence. Niger gained independence from France in August of 1960.[3] The colonial rule caused deleterious effects on the nation even after it ended – the power vacuum left from colonial rule was easily filled by “brutal military rule for the next 30 years until 1991.”[4]

While the French colonization was a significant “contact” point for the nation, the spread of Islam also represented a contact point with other cultures. As early as the eight century A.D., Islam was spreading through trade routes and explorers to West Africa.[5] This mix of influences – French colonial rule and Islamic religious and cultural traditions – has shaped Niger into the country it is today.

---

[1] “Niger – History and Culture,” iExplore, accessed February 15, 2016, http://www.iexplore.com/articles/travel-guides/africa/niger/history-and-culture, 4.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid., 5.

[4] Ibid., 6.

[5] “The Spread of Islam in West Africa: Containment, Mixing, and Reform from the Eighth to the Twentieth Century,” Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education, last modified January 2009, accessed January 15, 2016, http://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/docs/the_spread_of_islam_in_west_africa_containment_mixing_and_reform_from_the_eighth_to_the_twentieth_century, 1. 

Bibliography

“Niger – History and Culture.” iExplor., Accessed February 15, 2016. http://www.iexplore.com/articles/travel-guides/africa/niger/history-and-culture.

“The Spread of Islam in West Africa: Containment, Mixing, and Reform from the Eighth to the Twentieth Century.” Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education. Last modified January 2009. Accessed January 15, 2016. http://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/docs/the_spread_of_islam_in_west_africa_containment_mixing_and_reform_from_the_eighth_to_the_twentieth_century.