Travel Guide Madaoua

Madaoua is a small town bordering a large plain plain where cotton, onions and cereals are grown. The south of Madaoua is a homogeneous natural area, a zone of application of the majia which allows an agricultural economy with hydraulic fittings for the production of onions and cotton. In the north of Madaoua, the majia are valleys dug deep in plateaus and home to a large rural population, with a hausa majority but with Tuareg pockets inhabited by Kell Gress tribes that have become sedentary since the beginning of the th century. The Kell Gress keep large herds of camels and still practise transhumance from Nigeria to the salt plains of Irazher, west of the Massif de l'Aïr. It is interesting to note in this context the wide range of transhumance corridors (several metres wide) delineated by spaced hedges or repères: they cut to the south to the north the vast areas of culture intended for millet. Transhumant farmers are forced to borrow from them because they are exposed to conflict with farmers. The Marché market on Saturday, 10 km from Madaoua on the road to Maradi is one of the most important and interesting: there are many wooden objects, Tuareg beds, mortars, pilon, because of the proximity of Nigeria where wood is cheaper. Tuareg leather cushions, cuir padded horse mats and padded Tuareg blankets in teleki fabric (teinté blue tinted blue) are among the most beautiful objects in the region.