The Tuareg

By: Bob Idjennaden

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The Sahara Desert extends over 8 million square kilometres, almost fifteen times the size of France; it stretches over 5000 kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. It represents a quarter of the African continent and has a number of different landscapes. We find in the Sahara (which means “desert” in Arabic) seas of sands called “erg”, plains of stones called “reg”, and large plates, the “hamadas”... There are also masses of torn mountains reaching upwards of 3000 metres. These landscapes of fascinating beauty and harshness are dotted with strings of oases which are the only places that still survive from that distant time when the Sahara was green and covered in rivers (of which only the Nile survives today). It is in this environment that the Tuareg live. Since the Arabs arrived in Africa, they have called the Tuareg “Molathemim,” the veiled, or “Ahelel-litham,” people of the veil. But what unites the Tuareg above all is their common language. The Tuareg call themselves the “Kel Tamasheq,” or “Those who speak Tamasheq.” Among the Tuareg, the woman holds the primary role. The children belong to the tribe of the mother, and the tent is her property. It is also her who holds the knowledge of Tuareg culture (Including the Tifinagh alphabet) and who has the responsibility to pass it on. Many things can be said about these men who have known for years how to live on this difficult land. These are a proud and rebellious, but modest and hospitable, people. Their songs, their poetry, their clothing, their objects, and their whole way of life are marked by an elegant modesty. They develop, in the desert (or “Tenere” in Tamasheq), self-control, the art of gestures and words. Amid so much austerity, each day they create a sensitive and refined way of life. But this life is fragile. In the desert, everything hangs by a thread; you need a rope to go to the well, to know a star so as not to get lost, to give the plant a bit of water so the fruit will ripen. Everything has its own importance and deserves their attention. The Tuareg submit to nature to domesticate it better. A fabulous people to discover.