Each furrow belongs to a family clan from the Tuareg, Erma or Haoussa ethnic groups. Worn, dug by the daily rubbing of hemp ropes, these multiple grooves make each well crank unique
It took 18 months to bring back this unique collection of 43 well cranks from Niger !
Each furrow belongs to a family clan from the Tuareg, Erma or Haoussa ethnic groups. Worn, dug by the daily rubbing of hemp ropes, these multiple grooves make each well crank unique, which Atmosphère d’Ailleurs has in turn transformed into « dancing sculptures ». The well cranks lined or were placed horizontally over wells in the Sahelo-Saharan zone, in central and southwestern Niger (Tawa) and in the southeastern part of Niger along the Chad border.
They are made of very dense and durable acacia wood, which guarantees their longevity…. the oldest are three to four hundred years old.
Collected before the great troubles (rebellions in 2014), they were stored for years by a Nigerian merchant. Today, these territories are totally inaccessible, as they have been annexed by armed jihadist gangs who indulge in all kinds of trafficking and racketeering in addition to war.
Getting the well cranks out of Niger for Côte d’Ivoire was quite an adventure in itself : the border was closed, the roads more than chaotic… the truck was armed and protected by «local relays» who watched over the convoy from village to village. The journey took 28 hours instead of the usual 6, the truck’s shock absorbers broke twice. At the border, customs ordered all the parcels to be unpacked for inspection.
Then, from Côte d’Ivoire it went on to Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou being the port of embarkation for the container to Frankfurt ! From there, they were eventually shipped to France.
A collection won with great difficulty, thanks to the help of our friend Jean-Yves (who has been living there for decades) and the determination that is so typical of Thierry Grundman.
Niger, 16th- 19th C.
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