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February 15, 2006

Gorom-Gorom

Gorom-Gorom is where I lived and worked for nearly 11 years, from 1992-2003.

Gorom-Gorom is the capital town of the province of Oudalan, the most north-eastern province in Burkina Faso, bordering both Mali and Niger. In the last 15 years, the town has acquired both running water and electricity, and the market was being rebuilt when I left. But the town is still cut off in rainy season, as the dirt road gets washed away. The road from Ouagadougou is apparently being laid with tarmac as far as Dori at present, leaving just the last - and worst - 56km untreated.

But it is worth the journey. Gorom-Gorom is in all those West African guide books as a "must-see" for anyone visiting Burkina Faso. This is primarily because of the fascinating mix of peoples and cultures of the area, particularly in evident every Thursday on market day.

The Peoples of Gorom-Gorom
There are of course the Fulani. As in Djibo, the men are mostly found down at the cattle market, buying, selling, herding, or just watching the cattle. While debates about price go on, they crouch in the dust, or stand one-legged eyeing the animals that are their life. Fulani women, dressed often in the typical blue cloth of the Gaoob'e Fulani that dominate this region, and with silver in their hair, are in the main market. They may be selling mats they have made, buying food for the family, or just meeting up to chat with family and friends.

Then there are the Tamacheq - the light skinned Tuareg (the "blue men of the desert") and the Bella, the ex-slaves of the Tuareg nobles. There are many Bella, but not many Tuareg here. The Bella have adopted the turbans, robes, swords, camels, and language (Tamacheq) of their old masters' culture. Like the Fulani, the Tuareg's loss of their slaves has left them often ill-equipped for survival, whereas the hard-working ex-slaves are often now much better off.

And then there are the Songhai. Related to the Djerma people of Niger, this is about as far from the River Niger that they get. The name Gorom-Gorom comes from the Sonhai name, meaning "sit down, we're going to sit down." The name goes back apparently to two brothers who, tired from travelling first stopped here. And one said to the other.... The Songhai have a less strict attachment to Islam than the Fulani or Tamacheq, and have many animistic practices in the surrounding, mostly more eastern areas.

Also in the market you will find Mossi from Ouagadougou, Maalleebe from Mali, Hausa from Niger, Hasania Arabs from Mauritania, Yoruba traders from Nigeria, and the occasional backpacking tubaaku, who has read his "Guide to West Africa", and come up on the bus from the capital the day before. If he has the time and inclination, he will barter a price with the local tourist guides for a camel trip to the sand dunes of Menegou, or a bush-taxi ride to the more spectacular ones 60km away at Oursi.

Tubaakus aside, the particular mix of peoples and the flat, dry landscape does give Gorom, and the whole province of Oudalan, a feel unlike anywhere else in the country - more like Niger or Mali than the rest of Burkina. It will be good to get back home...

Tags: africa burkina burkina faso gorom-gorom tamacheq tuareg songhai fulani market

Posted by Keith at February 15, 2006 07:56 PM

Comments

Posted by: Amanda at February 16, 2006 03:02 AM