Fair Trade
Wodaabe Tote Bag
The Wodaabe people are renowned for their embroidery. This colorful tote bag is
made in Niger and embroidered by Wodaabe artisans in a cooperative with RAIN,
our featured program for July 2014. Artisans receive 100% of proceeds
The nomads of the Sahara and Sahel have centuries-old artistic traditions working
with leather, straw, and textiles. RAIN works primarily with Tuareg and Wodaabe
peoples. RAIN provides materials, training, and marketing in Niger and the U.S. The
artisans receive 100 percent of proceeds from your purchase and go on to donate
50 percent to support their local school, where nomadic children must live in order
to learn. In this way, your purchase directly supports livelihoods in a place where
there are no job opportunities and education for children in communities where the
literacy rate is less than 10 percent.

$50
Tuareg Striped Silver Cuff Bracelet
Tuareg jewelry is legendary; made of silver that is often the result of melted down
vintage coins. This adjustable cuff bracelet is made in a traditional design with a
black ebony stripe. A classic beauty… The full purchase price supports RAIN’s
programs in Niger, West Africa.

$75
Miniature Tuareg Decorative Camel Tassels
The Tuareg, a semi-nomadic people of Niger, Mali, and Algeria, have fascinated
travelers and scholars throughout history. The “art” of being Tuareg—their elegant
dress and exquisite ornamentation, their refined song, speech, and dance—has been
the subject of rhapsodic descriptions that suggest a Tuareg “mystique.”
Nomadic girls in RAIN's Mentoring and Scholarship Program in the community of
Gougaram have created authentic Tuareg camel tassels in their practical skills classes
as they learn ways to support themselves and their families.

$15
Books
Fiction
Still Waters in Niger
By Kathleen Hill (Triquarterly, 1999)
This is a story about a woman who accompanies her husband to a small village in
Africa and her experiences with the people in the village. Seventeen years later, she
returns to the same village because her daughter, Zara, is doing humanitarian work
there. As she reacquaints herself with her own daughter and with the Africa of her
past, the narrator meets other mothers and their children. Her own memories of
young motherhood strong, she becomes aware of the strikingly similar ways in which
the impassioned and often difficult bonds between mothers and daughters are
revealed across the divide of cultures. The author paints a portrait of a community of
women grounded by kinship and by care for their children.
"Still Waters in Niger is a book whose subject is the losses and lapses of motherhood
in two different cultures." - New York Times
Harmattan
By Gavin Weston (Myrmidon Books, 2013)
Harmattan (from an Arabic word meaning destructive wind ) tells a story through the
eyes of Haoua, a young girl growing up in a remote village in the Republic of Niger.
At 11, Haoua is a promising student in a remote village in Niger, her education
supported by Vision Corps International. But her dreams of being a teacher die, and
her life begins a downward spiral, when her mother, diagnosed with AIDS, is taken to
a hospital in the capital city of Niamey. As the oldest of three children at home,
Haoua is given even more chores by her father, who forbids her returning to school
despite the entreaty of her teacher. Haoua’s only support is from her older brother,
Abdelkrim, a soldier stationed in Niamey, who does what he can before the unrest
that follows the assassination of President Mainassara. At 12, Haoua becomes the
third wife of her father’s brutal cousin, with dreadful consequences.
“Weston’s first novel captures a time and a place, from the beauty of Niger’s vistas to
the inhumanity of its patriarchal culture. The latter will arouse outrage, as will the
restrictions posed by an NGO that is there to help. This is fiction that conveys truth more vividly than fact could.” Booklist
Non-Fiction
My Life Story
By Fadhma Aith Mansour Amrouche (Hardinge Simpole Limited, 2009)
This autobiography is the story of a Berber woman in at the turn of the twentieth
century. Born illegitimate, author Fadhma Amrouche would have been killed at
birth with her mother to preserve the honor of the family, but for the intervention
of the French authorities. Because of this, she received an education and eventually
married a Christian convert, although they remained closely linked to their families
of origin. Her tale is one of battling poverty, illness and exile. Fadhma's fight for an
education in a world of almost universal female illiteracy was nothing short of
heroic. She and her children moved from the harsh, fixed hierarchies of a traditional
Berber village with archaic means of production to become cosmopolitan Parisians.
Her unassuming narrative throws an unforgettable light on Berber life, women's
position in traditional societies and the tensions between governed and governors in
the colonial world.
“In the pages of this book, Amrouche describes her schooling, her marriage, and her
children. Her personal and family struggles are the clear focus, while world wars, epidemics and the war of independence
flicker through the background.” – Vine Voice
Nomads of Niger
By Carol Beckwith (H.N. Abrams, 1983)
Nomads of Niger is a well-written and colorful depiction of the life of the ancient
nomadic Fulani or "Peul" people. Belonging to the group known as the Wodaabe or
Bororo, these nomadic herders of Niger have roamed for centuries across the subSaharan 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 found in one of the harshest living environments on earth.
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. Not just photos, it is also an informative and highly
entertaining account of the lives, customs, rituals, and taboos of this group of
nomadic herders.
“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." – Amazon.com
Films
Behind the Blue Veil (available on Netflix)
(2013, 62 minutes)
Two-time Emmy winner Robyn Symon takes us into the modern Tuareg world in Mali,
led by protagonist Mamatal Ag Dahmane. Behind the Blue Veil explores issues
impacting Tuareg people such as drought and conflict while offering an inside glimpse
into the daily lives of an ancient Berber tribe finding their way in the 21st century. View
the trailer
“The Tuareg chief who was leading them to his tiny village had made it clear their
journey would have to wait until the following day. The river was impassable. “Well, I
thought, what do we do?” recalls filmmaker Symon. “This isn’t on my itinerary. And we
can’t very well check into a Holiday Inn.” Within minutes, a group of Tuareg —
descendents of the Berbers, known as the Blue People for their long robes and blueveiled faces — materialized in the windy darkness, pitched three tents, slaughtered a
goat and cooked it over a fire ... Her documentary details the hard scrabble life of the Tuareg and their proud fight to
maintain their culture and way of life.” – The Miami Herald
Girl Rising
(2013, 100 minutes)
From Academy Award-nominated director Richard E. Robbins, Girl Rising journeys around
the globe to witness the power of education in the stories of nine unforgettable girls
living in the developing world: ordinary girls who confront tremendous challenges and
overcome nearly impossible odds to pursue their dreams. Prize-winning authors put the
girls’ remarkable stories into words, and renowned actors give them voice. Watch a postscreening panel - RAIN founder Bess Palmisiciano participates with film producer Tom
Yellin.
Illuminating and ultimately hopeful, despite the horrible circumstances depicted, "Girl
Rising" stands as a testament to the power of information. – Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles
Times
AGADEZ: The Music & the Rebellion (available from the producer – Zero Gravity Films)
Featuring the Tuareg international music star and RAIN supporter Bombino (Omara
Moctar), AGADEZ is a documentary tracing Bombino’s rise as a musician, paralleling the
rise of music as an expression of cultural determination instead of guns. Footage
includes Bombino performing at the Festival of the Desert in Timbuktu and his
recording sessions for his new album, Nomad, with The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach in
Nashville. View the trailer & learn more about the film.
Music
Bombino: AGADEZ
Omara "Bombino" Moctar, a young Tuareg guitarist and songwriter, was raised
during an era of armed struggles for independence and violent suppression by
government forces. His electrifying jams capture the spirit of resistance and
rebellion while echoing with guitar riffs reminiscent of fellow Africans Tinariwen and
Ali Farka Touré as well as blues icons such as Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker and
Jimmy
Page.
Listen
to
Bombino
on
NPR’s
World
Café
Etran Finatawa: Desert Crossroads
Etran Finatawa, meaning "the stars of tradition" - is a remarkable musical
collaboration between members of two nomadic African cultures in Niger,
showcasing an eclectic sound that features a variety of modern and traditional
instrumentation, strong polyphonic voices and high tenor solos.
Formed by 10 musicians in 2004, Etran Finatawa was meant as a gesture of
reconciliation and recognition of differences between the two sometimes-feuding
groups, the Wodaabe and the Tuareg. Their music blends the two languages and
distinctive styles with bluesy overtones, leading to their coinage of the term "nomad
blues" to describe their music. Desert Crossroads is their second album, released in 2008.
Curated by Lynn O’Connell and Marcie Christensen
Fair Trade, Books, Film and Music recommended by RAIN
Dining for Women is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to
provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.