Nomads of Niger [Hardcover]

Marion Van Offelen (Author), Carol Beckwith (Photographer)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810981254 | ISBN-13: 978-0810981256 | Publication Date: September 5, 1993

A photographic celebration of the nomadic Wodaabe of Niger with a narrative that follows a herdsman and his family and kinsmen through one year's journey in parched, sub-Saharan Africa. This volume documents their life, culture, traditions and celebrations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If one picture is worth a thousand words, then the combination of text and images in Nomads of Niger adds up to the equivalent of a whole encyclopedia. The cover photograph alone tells you this will be a special journey; before you even reach the title page you've already been treated to several stunning portraits of a nomadic people known as the Wodaabe, "who number among the last nomads of Africa, indeed among the last nomads on earth." The landscape the Wodaabe inhabit is a harsh one: "In central Niger, between the great Sahara Desert and the grasslands, lies an immense steppe, scattered with scrawny bushes and skeletal trees. For nine months of the year hardly a drop of rain falls. The days are torrid, the nights sometimes freezing cold. And the harmattan, the hot wind out of the desert, blows up relentlessly, filling the air with a sandy haze." Across this no-man's land the Wodaabe herd their cattle, migrating north in the rainy season and south again in the dry months and leaving no trace of their travels as they go.

Photographer Carol Beckwith spent 18 months traveling with one particular band of Wodaabe, and her photographs concentrate on the family of a herdsman named Mokao and his family. Nomads of Niger is more than just a coffee-table book; it is also an informative and highly entertaining account of the lives, customs, rituals, and taboos of the Wodaabe reminiscent of the best of National Geographic magazine.

From Library Journal

Belgian anthropologist Van Offelen banded with American photographer Beckwith to produce this stunning 1983 volume on the Wodaabe, the pastoral nomads of the West African Fulani people. Along with the 144 photographs are numerous line drawings and a healthy portion of Van Offelen's observations. This remains "recommended for area collections and for libraries where there is interest in the decorative arts of traditional societies" ( LJ 12/15/83).
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (September 5, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810981254
• ISBN-13: 978-0810981256
• Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 10.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Travel > Africa > Niger & Nigeria

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the only, and best, ethnographies of the Wodabe., August 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Nomads of Niger (Hardcover)

Nomads of Niger is an excellently written and colorful depiction of the life of the ancient nomadic Fulani or "Peul" people. Belonging to the group known as the Wodabe or Bororo, these nomadic herders of Niger (actually in this case moving into Chad, Cameroon and Central African Rupublic as well) have roamed for centuries across the sub-Saharan bushland, surviving where few others could. Living very simply, yet loving beauty and esthetics, their intricate culture and open hospitality is fascinating -- especially as it is is found in one of the harshest living environments on earth.

The authors have done a marvelous job of looking inside this virtually unknown culture, and with admiration and respect depicting it in print and photographs. It should be also noted that the Nomads of Niger was also developed as a National Geographic documentary, and brings some of the unforgettable sounds and action of this culture to life. Don't miss the Geerewol!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good, October 1, 2002

By 

Vladyslav Serdyuk "Vlad" (Kiev, Ukraine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nomads of Niger (Hardcover)

Dear Sirs,

This book is excellent sourse for those who never visited the countries where nomads of Niger are living. Of course, if it is interesting for you. Splendid photos of different tribes and people. Very good and understandable texts. I enjoyed the jorney when I have read the book. When you read it and look on the photos you feel like you are there, among nomads.
It is also very good for people who are going to visit the countries where the Niger nomads live. You have to read this book before you trip.

Sincerely yours,

Vladyslav.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book has excellent coverage on the Wodaabe, January 19, 1999

By 

Marie Hetherington [e-mail] (Cupertino, California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nomads of Niger (Hardcover)

This is truly a wonderful book. The photos are beautiful and depicts the Wodaabe just as they are. The text is very accurate. Although published in 1983 these people are still very much the same today.

Carol Beckwith, who also wrote an article on the Wodaabe for the National Geographic in 1983, follows a family of the Wodaabe for a period of a year as they move from place to place in search of water for their cattle and themselves. The harshness and beauty of their lives is both portrayed in this book.

Many aspects of their complex culture is described. It is worth reading particularly if you ever intend to visit the area and the Wodaabe themselves.

Excellent value for money.