Love this pic by Daphne Ouwersloot of Niger
Call me ignorant of you wish but I didn't know that this problem still existed in Niger mostly from African to African...that's ridiculous.
It's important to realize that Niger is 1 the poorest country in Africa and within tribe the former negative practice of slavery is still in existence.
Can you believe ithat in 2004 there were more than 40,000 people in slavery WHAT?? I just can't believe it..
Most of the time they are born in slavery, meaning they belong to family, "masters" who mistreat , don't pay them enough that is to suppose that they even pay them.
Their "masters" take their most basic rights away from them
...mmm they're born under these conditions..and wait 1 minute it gets worst..
until not too long ago they didn't even have the right to vote...What? then comes inhuman right activist Ilguilas Welia who risks his life everyday to bring awareness on this social injustice..
He was successful w/his non profit org' TIMIDRIA to get the penal system to forbid slavery w/sentene up 2 30 years of emprisonment...okay that's on paper now the key is to have that take place in reality...mm and you know our govs in Africa.:(
Of course when somebody like Ilguias stands up against the gov, he makes very quicky great enemies. Thus goes the story in which he was accused of stealing donors $$...mm of course.
He was put in jail but the Internional and Local Media'attention to the case saved him from this ordeal...thankfully.
If you wanna know more about his work , here's his webbie:
Slavery Needs 2 stop Existing!
Eyee Wayeee!!
2 comments:
Mauritania has a similar problem of slavery b/w Arabs and Blacks.
To understand the slavery problem in Mali & Niger, it is important to understand the Tuareg feudal class system, which has existed. 5 classes:
Noble: Imajaghan
Muslim Priest: Immazughan
Vassals: Imrad
Artisans: Inadan
Slave: Iklan
In the Tuareg belief system. Each has its own nature "alkhal" which Allah gave them. A person cannot escape their nature, it is determined by Allah. Thus a slave is a slave and will always remain a slave, in though & spirit even liberated politically or economically speaking.
Ilguilas is fighting against a centuries old social-economic system which is condoned by the religious leaders and deeply ingrained in the cultural thinking the "slaves" themselves.
Another important aspect to understanding how slavery survives into modern times is that it is usually done under the guise of the Muslim "fourth wife." And that it usually, though not always, involves teenage girls, and young women.
Many poor black Tuareg men of the former slave class even though no longer slaves themselves, will sell their daughters into slavery to either wealthy Arabs in the north, or wealthy Hausa merchants in Nigeria for a sum considerably larger than the normal dowry they would bring if they married within their own social class.
Technically from both a religious and legal perspective, they are not slaves. They are the fourth wife of a wealthy man. However, in practice they are economic and sex slaves. They have to serve the other wives by cooking and cleaning , and do the sexual bidding of the husband. After five years or so they are no longer appealing, so he divorces them and sends them back to their father in Niger. Usually deeply traumatized.
The fact that the many poor people of the other four classes, though they remain poor would never consider selling their daughters into this kind of slavery reinforces in the minds of Nigeriens and Malians that it is the nature of an Iklan to be a slave.
In fact all it shows is that deep seated socio-economic patterns sanctioned by religion are very hard to change in the legal arena.
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